The Runaway
by Nature9000
Summary: Years of being forgotten, mistreated, and having her own sister consistently refuse to stand up for her, Trina has had enough. One final incident pushes her over the edge, and when she needs her sister most, she is ignored. Made to feel worthless, Trina runs back to the only time in her life she was happier. Can she see those who love her, or remain hidden beneath her shield?
1. I'm Gone

The Runaway

Disclaimer: Don't own Victorious, or FOP

A/N: This is another story inspired by an actor and mutual roles. I've come up with a very dramatic and well thought out story as a result. I believe you will enjoy it. Now, I'm starting this off after the episode where Robbie and Cat sing the bad news, March of 2012. For sake of this, both Fairly Odd Parents movies have taken place in 2012 (The Christmas movie has and both seem the same year). Now for sake of having it make sense (with Tori still in school) I've had to leave Trina at near 20 years and Tori nearing 18 (She is seventeen now), this puts Trina/Tootie at three years younger than Timmy. That is the only age manipulation that I have had to work out with this. Without further ado, I give you, the starter:

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Chapter 1 (I'm Gone)

March 2012

_Trina Vega screamed at Cat and Robbie to disappear from her presence after having destroyed their guitar. This behavior among Tori's friends was typical, more so than she would like to admit. The boy they sung about, Seth, was to take her to a game. It was going to be a great date, but _no_, he had to send the two _clowns_ to tell her he didn't want to go. As if he couldn't just tell it to her face!_

_ Upon making it to her room, she put her back to her door and let a violent scream bellow from her lungs. She wasn't upset over this one simple act. No, it was a number of things piling over one after another. "Life was supposed to be good when we moved here…it was supposed to be better." All she was here was Tori's older sister. That girl used to look up to her, and now that she was in Hollywood Arts, it was like Trina didn't even_ matter_ anymore. Her father! She used to be her father's whole world! She was daddy's little girl, daddy's favorite, and now he was always busy with work and never paying any attention to her. Their mom wasn't much better._

_ Her chest heaved as she turned her eyes to a picture on her nightstand, it was when she was much younger. A better time, no doubt. Or at least, better than this daily pain of being her sister's shadow. In the photo was a girl with dark brown pigtails and old looking 'granny glasses' as she used to call them. Her heart cried out as she walked to the picture, smiling sadly at the puppy in that girl's hands. "Now there was a time…A time when I mattered…"_

_ It seemed ironic, she'd become the 'bitch' older sister that all of her younger sister's friends picked on and hated. She'd become the sister that didn't matter. Much like her elder sister. Sixteen at the time, back when Trina was only seven and going by her childhood nickname 'Tootie'. Trina was only five, she didn't remember much of that town. Vicky Vega was a harsh, cruel, jealous elder sister. Trina was the light in her father's eyes and Tori was her mother's delight. Vicky was 'forgotten'._

_ Four years later, the family moved from that place. Dimmsdale. Vicky refused to go with them, disowning the family altogether. They hadn't heard from her since, and the family opted to just move on with their lives. Did they miss her? Sure. Trina wasn't too certain how she felt, remembering the girl's incessant tortures back in the day. Now, she was wondering if she was destined to be as her sister was? The forgotten, 'ugly' older sister. She couldn't say she hated her, Tori didn't have a big opinion of her. _

_ The one good thing about Dimmsdale was Timmy Turner. He was her first love, and she'd been through a lot of guys. How had he changed? Had he changed at all? It would be nice to see, but then again, she thought Vicky could possibly still be in Dimmsdale. What would it matter? Her family never made an attempt to go back. Her dad's work was far too demanding and Tori simply didn't care anymore. _

_ She wiped her eyes and moved over to her bed. Her body was on fire, her chest ached and her cheeks burned. She yearned for those simpler days, where everyone was happier. Her father wasn't as busy, her mother was always a part of her life, and Tori thought Trina was the best thing since sliced bread. "LA's changed things…Tori's friends are assholes, the guys here are pricks. Give me a real life, a simpler time. Don't give me this-" Her phone went off and she checked it, her heart skipped a beat when she saw it was Seth. She hesitated to answer it at first, having a really bad feeling about it, but decided to swallow her anxiety and give him a shot. "Hello? Trina here…"_

_ "Hey Tri, this is Seth. I was uh-I was wondering, I know I cancelled our earlier date. Maybe you'd still like to give it a shot?" Her hand flew to her chest and she quickly stood up, gasping with surprise. "My friends and I are going to be hitting the town. Join me? Let me make it up to you…" _

_ "A-Are you serious?" This wasn't a joke? He was really considering this? Maybe there was some hope in the boys around here after all! Dare she get her hopes up? "Y-Yes of course!" Everything in her told her to flee, not to go. Throwing caution into the wind, she prepared herself and charged down the stairs nearly running into Tori. _

_ "Trina!"_

_ "Can't talk now, got a date!"_

_ "But I need you, I have to ask something." Did she hear correctly? Tori _needed_ her? She started to scoff, not wanting to believe her sister needed anything important. Those days were gone. Still, she could hope. She looked to her, eager to help her baby sister in any way. Tori cleared her throat and closed her eyes. "Tonight everyone's coming over to play cards…"_

_ "Yes?" Was Tori going to invite her to join them? Her heart rose to her throat and her face became flush. This was turning into the most amazing night! _

_ "Do you think I should have them play Hearts or Gin Rummy? Or do you think they'd like Texas hold em' better." Instantly her heart crashed down. Tori saw the flash of pain in her eyes and started to say something, but Trina interrupted her._

_ "They're _your_ friends, why don't you ask _them_ instead. Whatever happened to the days where I was actually important to you, Tori?"_

_ "You _are_ important to me, Trina." _

_ "Whatever, I have a date to go to…"_

_ An hour later, Trina returned to the house in tears. Her cheeks were swollen, her lip bloody, and her dress torn. Her vision was a bit blurry, and her heart was breaking. Seth didn't want a date with her, he just wanted to laugh at her. He and his friends drugged her, threw her in a ditch and beat upon her. She screamed and cried, begging for them to stop hitting her, to stop throwing rocks at her, but they wouldn't._

_ Worthless! Idiot! You'll never be anything to anyone! You're just a fuckup that's all you are. Who the fuck would ever want to date someone like _you?

_ The mocking didn't stop. Her body trembled as she opened the door, trying hard not to collapse on the ground. Her heart screamed and her tears mixed with the blood. Tori and her friends were playing cards at the table, but no one looked up at her. "T-Tori." Her dad wasn't home yet, she needed to talk to someone. She had to talk to _someone_. "Tori!"_

_ "Not now, Trina. It's my turn." Trina's eyes widened as her sister studied her cards furiously. She started to stammer, collapsing onto one knee and weeping silently. Why weren't they looking? "I'm _losing_." She clenched her eyes shut, weeping bitterly._

_ "Tori I need you right now."_

_ "Just a minute, don't worry Trina, it'll only be a minute. I can't talk right now."_

_ "T-T-Tori please…"_

_ Jade smacked the table, throwing her cards in the air and scoffing. "Oh for god sake!" Her words stabbed at Trina, tearing her open. Her stomach churned as she swallowed down the taste of vomit from the effects of the drugs Seth and his friends hit her with. Jade stared straight ahead, not bothering to look back at her. "Can't you tell no one wants you around right now, Trina?" Tori looked up from her cards for the first time, but didn't look over, she was glaring at Jade. "You're annoying, useless, just leave us alone! Tori will talk to you later!"_

_ "F-Fine! I see, I'm just the useless, ugly sister no one cares about! Well fuck you then! Fuck you! I-I see where I stand…" The pain of this moment was only salt to the wound that Seth dealt seconds ago. "You won't even stick up for me to your friends! I must mean the world to you, huh?!" She turned away and left the house, hearing Tori call out to her before yelling something at Jade._

_ She ran, for how far, she didn't know. She collapsed on the steps of someone's house and buried her face in her hands, wailing loudly. The lights of the house turned on after a few minutes, startling her. She wasn't truly aware of where she was. The door opened and Sinjin's head poked out. "Trina?" Her lip pouted out as he moved outside and sat beside her. "Oh my god, what happened to you?"_

_ "I…" Instantly he removed his jacket and moved it over her shoulders. He was like her, of the same cloth. He was misunderstood. He'd graduated high school, but still hung around as Sikowitz's teacher assistant. He wanted to be a teacher and was indeed an avid bug collector like his little sister. People thought he was weird to still be hanging around the building, but as such, he had his reasons. "It's nothing."_

_ "You're hurt. You're sitting on my steps, crying your eyes out. What is it?" She gazed into his eyes, he was genuinely concerned for her. His hair wasn't in its usual curls, but combed back. She pointed it out and he chuckled, running his hand through his hair. "Right, I uh…It's strange, I can't stand sleeping with my hair out in its messy afro, so I comb it right before bed. It actually helps get the dirt of the day out."_

_ "Oh?"_

_ "Yeah, I take nightly showers and comb my hair. Much more sanitary!" He was missing his glasses too, but she knew he had contact lenses. They actually talked about that a year or two ago. He was a good guy, but she always gave him a hard time because of some crush he formed on her in the last year of school._

_ "You look better with it that way…"_

_ "You think so? Well thank you." He laughed deeply and raised his eyebrows, "Maybe I should put some gel in it more often."_

_ "You should." She breathed in deeply and wiped her eyes with the sleeve of his coat. Realizing what she did, she looked up at him apologetically and he merely waved his hand. His answer was that he could wash it if he had to, but it didn't seem there was a necessity to do such. "I'm sorry if I woke you up…it's just…everything's coming to a head Sinjin, and I can't take it anymore. I just can't."_

_ "What do you mean you 'can't'?" Concern flashed through his eyes as she began trembling. "Trina talk to me, what's going on?"_

_ "Tori doesn't care about me."_

_ "Now I'm sure that's not true."_

_ "It is! Ever since we moved to this godforsaken place, it's like…everything's different! I hate it! Tori won't even stick up for me when her friends talk shit about me. I can't get a date because people consider me only 'Tori's dumb sister'. Even tonight, my 'date' took me out with his friends and…" She whimpered as she remembered Seth laughing at her and throwing bottles her way. Sinjin put his arms around her and pulled her close, it was a comfort for her, but not major. How could anything comfort her anymore? "They beat me Sinjin. They beat me, they mocked me, they told me I was useless, that I wasn't worth anything to anyone."_

_ "Now _that_ isn't true. If anything, you're worth something to me." She started to smile and closed her eyes. "When I look at you, I see someone who is strong, intelligent, and you can kick ass. You think I haven't seen you in those martial arts classes?" She chuckled and wiped her tears away with her hands._

_ "Thank you…but I'm done…I'm just like my older sister it seems like."_

_ "Older?"_

_ "Yeah. Vicky. No one talks about her because she pretty much disowned us. She was mean, cruel to kids, probably just because she was always jealous Mom and Dad gave me and Tori all the attention. I mean we think about her, but we've never gotten in contact with her…"_

_ "I'm sorry. And you are not like that in any way, Trina. I know you're hurting. Don't let what those people say hurt you, they're not right. Hey, I have some hot chocolate on the stove inside if you'd like some?"_

_ "I thought you were asleep."_

_ "Nah, my sister was. I leave the lights on dim in the house so I don't bother her. Her bedroom's on the end of the hallway closest to the living room, and I like to watch some television before hitting the sack." _

_ "Oh…well…I'd love to, but, I just can't…" Maybe she could, for just a little while. At the same time, she didn't want to be tempted to stay in this hellhole any longer. "I hate it here, Sinjin. I hate this town, I just…I want to get away." _

_ "Trina?"_

_ "No…I've made my decision…" It wasn't a hard decision to make. All she had to do was remember when she was happier. Dimmsdale. That town was the happiest place on earth and she wanted to go there. "If they don't want me around, then so be it. I won't be around to bother them anymore."_

_ "Trina."_

_ "Call me a drama queen if you want." He closed his eyes as she stood up and huddled the coat closer around her body. Without thinking, she started walking off. Sinjin called out to her, but she didn't respond. "Don't turn around," she thought. If she turned around, if she looked at him, she might not have the courage to make this step. She was damn near twenty years old, she could leave if she wanted._

_ It was the middle of the night when she got home, the house was dark and everyone was asleep. She found a note on her bed that said 'I love you, your little sister'. She tucked it away in the coat, struggling as she smelled the faint aroma of cocoa powder. Had she forgotten to return Sinjin's coat? She closed her eyes and breathed in the sweet smell, smiling lightly and shaking her head. _

_ She packed up her things and left a note for the family. It didn't say much at all, she didn't want them to find her. She didn't want them to look for her. Therefore all that the note had were two simple words._

_ "_I'm gone."

January 12, 2013

Trina awoke with a startled gasp, her nightmares haunting her again. She hugged herself and looked around the tiny one bedroom apartment. Moreover, it should be called a _shack_ than anything.

On the other side of the room in his bed was her doting boyfriend, Timmy. Much like his usual pink outfit, he was sleeping in pink _footie_ pajamas. When she arrived, she learned of an activist clause and found him. Nothing had changed about him, perhaps that was what attracted her to him?

He thought of her as 'Tootie' and never even thought to ask about her _real_ name or her family. She was happy with that, she honestly didn't think he could mentally deal with that. _"For a guy that's twenty three and still in fifth grade…huh." _ She never quite questioned whether she 'loved' him or not, he seemed to care very deeply for her. They could never speak of intellectual things though, and still, he didn't know she ran away from her family so long ago.

At least here, she was wanted by somebody. Here, they were using magic of these strange little fairies to grant everyone's wishes. She should be happy, shouldn't she? Though sometimes she couldn't help but wonder about her life back in LA. She had to shake that trauma from her mind, it didn't matter.

Her body was in a hot sweat and her lungs were moving as rapidly as her heart. She saw the three fish in the fishbowl watching her and flashed them a quick smile. "Good morning Wanda, Cosmo, and Poof…" Yeah, this wasn't a strange transition at all.

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So how do you like it? I have all chapters written, so that is a plus. Tell me your thoughts, Chapter 2 is on its way.


	2. Dimmsdale Oddities

The Runaway

Disclaimer: Don't own Victorious, or FOP

A/N:

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Chapter 2 (Dimmsdale Oddities)

She'd actually muddled about for a few months before her arrival into Dimmsdale, having been too nervous and afraid to reenter the town. Officially, she managed to pop in around the start of July when she felt she had to due to the plans she was hearing about an old tree she and her sisters used to play around all the time. Of course, she was plenty ready for them to run her over with a bulldozer, she didn't care. Then all the weird things went wrong, including the random appearance of a goat eating the pants of the guy in charge of all these changes.

Meeting Timmy again was like a wave of nostalgia. Normally she wouldn't go for a guy like him. Still stuck in the fifth grade, no degree or any desire in college, and up until she met him he was living with his parents still. She was a bit blind to it all, still attracted to the fact that he reminded her of those happier times when she was just a little girl. "I guess if it takes the past to make me happy, maybe that's where I should be?"

She lifted her gaze to the showerhead, letting the water beat down on her body. She was sitting at the edge of the tub, drenched in her tears and sullied emotions. Her body was a mess, not that she had to worry about Timmy ever seeing it. She was pretty sure that boy never saw a pair of breasts in his life. She still had some cuts from where the bottles hit her, scars as they were.

The water was beginning to lose its heat, but that was fine. As long as Timmy and his fairies didn't have to hear her crying over her nightmares, she was happy. She wiped her eyes away and grabbed the shower rod, using it as leverage to pull herself up. Trina turned off the shower and stepped out, grabbing the towel as she exited.

It was something to ponder, whether she was being fair to Timmy. She _did_ care for him. She thought she might even love him. He was a great guy, of course he used magic to fix everything. Some broken things couldn't be fixed with magic, he probably didn't realize that. He never asked about her family, never even asked about _Vicky_. Trina supposed she was happy about that. She was perfectly content going on their 'magical' adventures all the time. Even if it meant screwing things up.

She wrapped her brown towel around her body and proceeded to wash her face, stopping as she gazed at the sickle shaped scar on the front of her chest just below her neckline. Her mind flashed to the day of her attack and she gripped the countertop with excessive force, struggling to keep her tears from leaking out again. She remembered Seth's face as clear as day as he laughed when the bottle broke on her.

Trina didn't believe that a wish could erase years of mental trauma, and she wasn't about to ask the fairies to do it. Otherwise, she would wish that everything that ever happened to her from her elder sister to Tori's friends would never have happened. "Magic can't fix everything…put on a smile, Vega. It's time to go out on the town." In the corner of her eyes she thought the second towel on the rod had a bit of a pinkish tint to it, but she gladly ignored it and forced a smile to her lips as she reached for her shirt.

Walking the streets of Dimmsdale was always interesting, it was like people here were frozen in time. It was somewhat annoying, especially when Timmy's parents looked like they'd just stepped out of the 1950s. Upon walking to the Farmer's market, she saw them looking over a patch of potted plants. "Well, they're not the strangest thing about this town, that's for sure." Trina looked over her shoulders, eyeing a pair of brown squirrels in the tree. She didn't think Cosmo or Wanda usually spied on her, but since her arrival in the city, she always felt eyes on her.

_"Maybe not those two."_ She turned her gaze to the daycare center across the street. She avoided it like the plague when she learned that Vicky worked there. It was always a bit of a scary looking place, and ironic that Vicky would run a daycare center. Of all the things she could have been in life, Trina _never_ imagined her older sister working with children. A shiver ran down her spine and she quickly moved for the farmer's market, accidentally bumping into the pale, lanky elementary school teacher.

"Watch it!" Mr. Crocker exclaimed, dropping his shopping bag on the ground. Trina flinched and smiled apologetically. He looked at her for a second, before letting out another outburst. "Oh it's you, Tootie! How is _Turner_ doing?" He was looking _past_ her. Ever since her arrival, and her near death experience that he was involved in, he was always shaky in her presence. She followed his gaze to the daycare center and raised an eyebrow.

"Timmy's fine. Cosmo and Wanda are fine. I'm fine. Everything's _perfect!_ Why are you staring at the daycare? Got a kid there?" Her joke only earned a sharp glare.

"No I do not. I don't care for children. I _teach_ where I must, and that is all! Will I be seeing _Turner_ in class again?" She rolled her eyes and flinched once Crocker screamed again. She looked to the daycare and saw one of the curtains in the window shift. With that, the teacher was gone.

Thanks to Crocker, and _everyone knew it_, Trina got trapped in a big steel ball after the madman trying to tear down the tree went crazy upon discovering Timmy's fairy godparents. If not for Timmy, this would have been the second most terrifying experience of her life. Climbing out of the overgrown play place was hell, especially when she was about to fall down into a bottomless pit. Did she and Timmy actually talk about the ordeal after that? Not so much. He kissed her, and apparently everything was saved.

Then they went around granting wishes for the world, almost wrecked Christmas in the process. She _did_ get a chuckle out of the fact that apparently her older sister started singing Christmas Carols when that dark cloud descended over everyone. It clearly changed her a little bit, but Trina never thought about how much that would actually entail.

The fact of the matter, strangest case in Dimmsdale, is the twenty three year old fifth grader who actually _hasn't_ quite grown up just yet. It was fine for her, his playful antics kept her mind occupied and kept her from having to be forced to think about the ordeal she suffered.

The two people she avoided more than she did Vicky were Chester and AJ. Those two had just become flat out creepy. Whenever they looked at her, she felt like she was being undressed by those prying eyes. She didn't want them anywhere near her. Whenever she was, they would refer to her as Timmy's hot girlfriend, they'd make catcalls and whistle at her.

Most men didn't have respect for women it seemed, or at least, those two didn't.

"Tootie!" She spun on her heels, perking up her lips as Mr. and Mrs. Turner came walking over to her. They actually had names, which was apparently shocking to anyone that always thought they were simply Timmy's parents. John and Mary Turner, _still _stuck in the past. Mary always wore polka dotted dress, had a purse hanging from her arm, and a 50's stile haircut. "How are you today?" Mary asked with a smile. She raised an eyebrow and breathed out slowly, did _nobody_ think to ask her what her _actual name_ was? Tootie was her childhood nickname, for once she'd like someone to call her Trina. She was feeling a bit homesick in that respect.

"I'm doing great, actually. I was thinking about putting a job application in at the farmers market here, but I'm not sure." She did need a job, after all. Timmy didn't think she needed a job because he could simply wish for whatever necessity they needed. "Money would be a good thing to have. I'm probably not going anywhere anytime soon."

"I thought you and Timmy were traveling the world," John inquired. "He's not uh-"

"Pretty sure he's not moving back in, though I would like to live in a better place than we do." It was seriously a step _down_, and she had to admit, she hated that little shack she was living in.

"Well if you guys _had_ to stay somewhere…we could get a guest bedroom for you two." She chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of her head. It was great that they would offer that, but she didn't want to impose, knowing how hard it was for them. "Anyway, good luck with the job hunt! If you need anything, you two know where to find us."

"Thanks again." The two started walking away and Trina moved on into the farmer's market. She heard the television playing and looked up in the corner, the music playing was _still_ on Christmas, strangely enough. The man at the counter caught her staring at it and looked up to the television.

"The wife still likes listening to this stuff. She recorded some stuff over the holidays and won't quit playing it until the end of January."

"Oh…" She shrugged her shoulders and moved towards the peaches. She heard the announcer say something about an original song written by some girl in LA and froze, hovering her hand over the peaches. _"No, couldn't be possible."_ Trina turned her eyes towards the screen and felt a wave of panic and sorrow washing over her.

Tori Vega was standing on a stage with Cat and Jade. Tori looked a bit distressed. She was wearing a sparkly black dress that Trina recognized as having been in _her_ closet. She thought she saw a sadness in Tori's eyes, but turned away, grabbing the peach quickly. An almost upbeat tune began and Tori began to sing _It's not Christmas without you._

Her heart slammed in her chest and tears welled up in her eyes as she listened to her little sister's voice. _"Caroler's singing, sleigh bells are ringing. It's that time of year. Everyone's toasting, chestnuts are roasting, Christmas time is near. Something's missing and I'm wishing, wishing you knew, How much it would mean to spend this Christmas time with you!"_ Tori's voice was quivering and Trina was sure this wasn't how the song was supposed to go. She looked up to the screen, huffing as Tori walked on the stage. _"So if you feel it coming on this special day, just trust your heart, don't let your head get in the way. 'Cause it's Christmas! And the start of something new."_ Tori stopped moving and put her hands both on the microphone, closing her eyes as she focused solely on the song, tears glistening like glitter from her eyes. _"Candy canes and mistletoe, Jack Frost nipping at your nose, but all of it means nothing without you."_

"Fuck this." Trina started dumping peaches into her bag, her body trembling as Tori's voice seemed to beckon her. "Can't the guy just throw a different tape in there? Does he _have_ to play his wife's recorded stuff?" Her heart was cracking and her blood was starting to boil. Tori never gave a shit about her, just like her friends, so why go on national television looking as she was?

_"Just for a minute, you get a feeling. Look up in the sky. Santa's here, so get in the spirit. Just give it a try! Children beaming and I'm dreaming, hoping that it's true. 'Cause it would mean so much to spend this Christmas time with you!" _

She rolled her eyes as she grabbed a green peach. "What the hell? Green?" She lifted the peach and looked over to the man at the counter, lifting up the peach. He shuddered in disgust and Trina threw the peach into the nearest waste bin, ignoring the grunt that followed.

She made her way to the counter and paid for the peaches, unable to continue shopping with her sister singing. She didn't even want to apply for the job now, she just wanted to _leave_. "Are you sure that's all, Tootie?"

"Yes. I'm sure."

"Okay." She handed him the money for the peaches and walked out the door as she heard her sister singing the last little bit of the song. Rolling her eyes, she scoffed and pushed the doors open.

"It's not even Christmas anymore. Deal with it." Her heart was breaking, her walls were growing, and nothing was going to be able to end it. Not even Timmy would be tearing those walls down. No, he was safe. She loved him sure, but he wasn't able to drill into her walls with his magic.

"Tootie!" She froze and looked to her right. Timmy was running up with a brown coat in his hands. Her eyes widened slightly, and as he stepped up next to her, the smell of warm cocoa drifted to her nostrils. "You forgot your coat."

"Thanks…" She took the coat and stared down at it, taking a moment to pause as her sister's song drifted to her head. There was no time to feel homesick, no time at all. "I'm not really all that cold at the moment, it's strange…but thank you, that's sweet of you Timmy." She pushed the coat on and checked the inside pocket, chuckling under her breath when she saw the pouch of cocoa beans inside. She had known they were there, sometimes she forgot, but it still brought a nice smell. "Hey Timmy, how about we go for some hot chocolate? I love the smell of hot cocoa in the morning…"

"Sure! I can get some right now." Cosmo and Wanda popped out from behind, wands ready. Wanda was looking at her with almost a sad smile and Cosmo seemed to have a bruise on his forehead above his right eye. "Nothing beats a nice cup of magical hot chocolate and walking the streets!" Instantly a mug of hot chocolate appeared in her hand. She peered down and sighed.

"That is true. I'm used to having it cooked on the stove, but, this works too I suppose." She brought the cup to her lips, wishing mentally for the taste of cinnamon. Back home, her good friend Sinjin would always put some cinnamon in as he prepared his. He'd deliver to Tori and her friends a batch and personally hand her a whole _thermos_ of it. This hot chocolate? It had marshmallows in it. That was all.

As the hot liquid touched her tongue, she tried to pin the flavor. It was almost like chocolate milk that had been heated up. She never saw anyone cook hot chocolate that way. Granted it was done by some people, but she often preferred the smoky blend of rich cocoa powder. "How is it?" She smiled at Timmy and lowered her cup. Her heart skipped a beat as she studied his pink hat and charming dimpled cheeks.

"It's great, Timmy, it really is. But I'm more of a girl who likes making it myself, you know?" She breathed in the steam and sighed contently as she imagined a warm port of hot chocolate on the stove, steam rising up as milk, powder, and cinnamon swirled within. "Rich, smoky cocoa powder…Swiss Mix is a favorite, a touch of cinnamon, fireplace, and you have pure bliss." Could magic replicate that? She loved the childlike hot chocolate, there was no doubt about that, but it just wasn't the same.

She gave that up, though.

"You don't like that?"

"No, no, it's not that. I love this. I just haven't had it this way since I was a kid, you know." There was the distinct flavor of chocolate milk and marshmallows. "Can't say I've ever had it brewed by magic either. But thank you Timmy. Let's walk, okay?"

"All right. I'm glad you like it, Tootie." He put his arm around her shoulders and walked with her as she moved the mug to her lips once more. She found herself mentally humming to Tori's song, then cursing the fact that it was stuck in her head. Tori didn't _really_ care, her friends didn't give a damn, so why should she?

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What do you think of everything? I know a lot happened here, and for those who haven't seen the FOP movies, the brief indicator of the movies is what Trina's talking about when she talks about that steel ball, and then the Christmas thing. As a matter of fact, we'll likely see Magnate again much later on. Trina's still got Sinjin's coat, interestingly enough, and yes the multicolored objects are Cosmo and Wanda trying to figure her out. Tell me your observations and thoughts


	3. Trauma Follows You

The Runaway

Disclaimer: Don't own Victorious, or FOP

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 3 (Trauma Follows You)

Walking together, she looked up to the sky with a smile as Timmy hurried ahead to talk to a couple kids about something. Wanda perched on Trina's shoulder. Trina sipped her hot chocolate and looked to Wanda with a smile. "Hey, how's it going there?" Wanda hummed, studying her cup. She pointed her wand to it in question.

"Would you like something different, sweetie?"

"No this is okay." Wanda leaned back and removed her wand. Trina didn't want the lady to think there was something wrong, because there wasn't. She sipped the hot chocolate again and let her eyelids close over. In her mind, she envisioned a hand moving a metal thermos into her view. Removing the lid, she saw a white swirl and cinnamon sprinkled about. It warmed the soul and calmed the restless spirit, tempting her into a state of luxury. _"Those days are gone…"_ Her eyes opened and she chuckled at the sight of Cosmo creating a balloon toy out of air and Timmy handing it to the kid. "So adorable, so sweet, so…magical." What time was it, exactly? Timmy couldn't wish for knowledge, so he was stuck trying to pass the fifth grade. Mr. Crocker was basically throwing out As every which way, just so he could get Timmy _out of his class_. "Timmy's a really great guy, Wanda. He cares so much about people, about _me_…"

"That's why you like him, he cares about you." Wanda was an enigma of sorts. The woman was very motherly in her ways and always trying to figure Trina out. Of course, Trina typically played coy when she had to. If she had to. "Of all the men in the world that would love you for you, you're with Timmy. I'm happy for you two, but are you happy?"

"Of course! What kind of question is that?" Wanda gave her a skeptical look and returned her gaze to the hot chocolate in Trina's hands.

"Timmy and Cosmo are naïve, Tootie. They're not the most observant people. They can see you wake up from a nightmare, drenched in sweat, and they won't think a thing of it. In a relationship with them, you have to be the strong one."

"I'm plenty strong. I know martial arts, I can be brave and courageous, I care about wildlife. I love people, and I think family is great…"

"Really? Family? You've been in Dimmsdale for five months and you haven't paid Vicky a visit yet. I know you two had a hard past, but, she's your sister…" Trina rolled her eyes as Wanda left her shoulder and hovered before her. She refused to make eye contact with the fairy. "You haven't even talked about your family or your life before you came back to Dimmsdale. I know pain when I see it, someone or something hurt you…didn't they?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Wanda." Trina lifted her mug to her lips, then looked over her shoulder. She thought she saw Vicky nearby, listening in or watching. Of course, the woman was nowhere around. "I'm not hurting…" She looked back ahead, Timmy was joking with Cosmo about something to do with underpants. "And if I was, I wouldn't talk much about it."

"I know. I just…there's that look in your eyes. When you were a kid and your sister used to do the cruel things to you, or ignore you, you were sad about it." Behind them, Vicky _was_ hiding behind a tree. The twenty-nine year old woman slowly poked her head out from the tree and narrowed her eyes, holding her breath. "There was that look in your eyes. When you came to Dimmsdale, the look in your eyes then…someone or something _worse_ hurt you because you looked more traumatized than anything your sister could ever put you through." Vicky bowed her head and put her hand to her chest, her reddish brown hair fell in front of her eyes and her lips fell into a frown.

"Maybe. Wanda, it's not something you can fix."

"But at least _talk_ to us about it. It's never good to hold things in." Trina looked away and shook her head. "You remember being stuck in that room with the maniac that was draining us?" She clenched her eyes shut, growling at the scathing memory. She didn't need to remember nearly falling into a ball pit, which would have been the strangest end. Though, Mr. Crocker fell into it and _he_ was still alive and here today. "You were panicked, you may have been fighting it off, but your eyes betrayed you then. Even when we went to the North Pole and Santa said he knew you, the look in your eyes…you didn't want him giving something away. I think that's why he called you by your nickname as everyone here does…"

"I prefer it. If you must know, and I'm _not_ going into details…" She breathed in slowly and clenched her forehead, struggling to hold back the tears in her eyes. "Before I came here…I was dating this guy…Seth Roland. Well I was supposed to."

Vicky lifted her head and turned her gaze over her shoulder, narrowing her eyes angrily.

"He…He called me out and-and he beat me. He and about two of his friends, Dennis and Zachary." Her breath hitched in her throat and her eyes stung as her memory flashed back to the incident. Wanda's hand covered her mouth and her eyes enlarged. "They threw glass bottles at me. Said I was…I was a joke. I was worthless. That-That's what brought me back here." She clenched her fists and slowly shook her head. She could feel the porcelain mug handle cracking in her fist, but was unable to control the pressure. "Now I don't want you telling Timmy or even Cosmo about that, okay? Just…between me and you. If I want to talk about it, I will. I don't want to talk about it, I don't want to think about it, and I'm not _going_ to. That's a part of my past, a part of my life that is _over."_

"I see…" Wanda hugged her and her body started to relax. She heard a door slam shut nearby and looked behind her, startled. "Well you know that I am here if you ever need anyone to talk to." She couldn't envision a fairy as that good of an advice giver, but she was. Wanda was not bad at all. Score one for the mystical creatures. "So then, back to the hot chocolate. You're _sure_ you don't want anything added to it?"

"I'm sure, but thank you." She smiled slowly and continued walking forward. Timmy jumped over and hugged her spontaneously. Normally she enjoyed the spontaneous sudden hugs, but not now. Her body was rigid and the flashbacks were playing through her head, making her tense up. She hated being touched when she felt like this. Just the simple touch was enough to set her off. He moved in to kiss her, only this time, his kiss took her to a very bad place. Her eyes widened and her hand gripped the cup as a whimper started in her throat.

_"What are we doing here?" Trina asked as she studied the ditch on the side of the road where Seth and his friends parked. He grabbed her waist and pulled her forward, kissing her lips. She gagged as the taste and smell of alcohol stung her. Suddenly she felt someone prick her with a needle, she pulled back gasping and clutching her arm. Her vision began to grow woozy and her heart started pounding rapidly_

_ "The kiss of death!" Seth laughed. "Okay guys." Suddenly the air around her drifted away and oxygen was only a lingering thought as the air left her lungs. He smacked her across the face, forcing her to fall back into the ditch. Crying out, she moved her arm above her face. She should be able to fight them off, but not in this shape. Not with her vision blurring down._

_ "S-Stay away from me!" With that, a bottle crashed into her chest and pain seared through her body like a dozen knives cutting into her. _

Trina put her hand to Timmy's chest and pushed him back, quickly looking over her shoulder in a breathless pant. "Tootie? You all right?" She looked back to him, her eyes wide and frantic. He put his hands to her shoulders and gazed into her eyes, a wrinkle formed in between his eyebrows and he tilted his head slightly to the right like a little puppy would. "Sorry if I caught you by surprise…I thought you liked that." She moved her hand to her chest and cleared her throat, taking a slight step back.

All she could do was think of the evil bloodshot eyes and the cruel laughter. _"J-Just a joke, I'm just a joke. A joke to my sister, to her friends, to my parents, to every guy that ever wants to date me. Just a joke!"_ She clenched her eyes and moved her hand to her forehead, gasping as the porcelain mug shattered at her feet. Timmy raised his eyebrows and lowered his arms. Cosmo and Wanda exchanged looks of concern and Trina quickly cleared her throat. "I-I'm fine."

_Fine?__What a lie!_

She was fighting away the images and the smells coming to her. Timmy started to smile and bounced on his heels. "Okay then, so we'll continue?" Wanda moved her hand to her forehead. Trina became enchanted with his smile for the moment, though the trouble was still there. "Besides, I have to kind of get to class. You know, I can't wait to graduate."

_Yes. Graduate the fifth grade._

She nodded swiftly and started walking as Cosmo cleared up the shattered mug. Who knew the fairies could be so handy?

After saying goodbye to Timmy at his school, Trina continued the walk on her own, though with Wanda tagging along. Wanda hung close to her, smiling gently. "You sure you're okay, Tootie?"

"Yes, Wanda. I would like to _stop_ thinking." That's what Dimmsdale was supposed to be, a place she would never have to think again.

"You can't just block things out, Trina. Problems aren't something you can just switch on, switch off, they follow you. Your problems won't just vanish because you're in a-"

"Don't you think I _know_ that?! Geez! I'm just trying to get over it, that's all!"

Wanda looked hurt for a second, then shrugged it off. Trina scoffed and closed her eyes, she felt guilty for snapping at the woman. All Wanda was trying to do was make her feel better.

"Sorry about that. I'm just tense…I didn't mean to take it out on you."

"It's okay, I understand. You know, when you've been around as long as I have, you learn to understand certain things. I'm sorry for the pain those men put on you, I know it hurts. But be honest with yourself, don't try and hide yourself in a place and time that might not really help you."

"It's been helping me just fine. Aside from Chester and AJ, there's not really any creepy guys." Wanda chuckled and perched on her shoulder.

"You know, I remember those two when they were younger and not nearly as strange. They still had their quirks, granted, but yeah. I can understand that concern, they _are _a couple creepy guys now. You're right to be wary of them."

"They call me Timmy's hot girlfriend, they think I'm just as much of a joke as the guys back home did."

"Well you're _not_ a joke, Tootie. You are far from it!"

"Thank you…" Her heart lifted up as Wanda pumped her fist in the air. "You know, I'd feel a lot more comfortable if you weren't flying around me all the time…"

"Hm? This better?" Wanda hovered in front of her, held out her wand, then vanished in a pillar of smoke. As the smoke cleared, a tall woman with vibrant red hair and fiery red eyes. She was wearing a yellow v-neck tee and black jeans. "I decided to do away with the pink for my human form, I figured you had enough of pink."

"A little bit. So, let's keep moving, there doesn't seem to be a whole lot to do here and I've been here five months already." Wanda laughed as the two of them started heading towards the Dimmsdale Mall, this was just going to be the two of them for a while. She needed that.

* * *

Thanks everyone who is enjoying this thus far. Tell me what you're thinking as this chapter goes along? Sounds quite like Vicky's been watching over her sister for a while, and has overheard what happened to Trina. What are your observations?


	4. Seed of Doubt

The Runaway

Disclaimer: Don't own Victorious, or FOP

A/N:

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Chapter 4 (Seed of Doubt)

"So, tell me about that jacket you're always clinging to. I've been wondering about it." Trina raised an eyebrow and looked at the brown sleeve, chuckling nervously. She felt guilty that she'd left with it, especially remembering the sorrowful look on Sinjin's face when she vanished. "That, and, I know 'Tootie' is a nickname. So…what's your real name? I won't call you it around Cosmo or Timmy if you don't want me to. You know, just us girls. We can go shopping after this, if you'd like."

"I'd like that, and yes, my name is _Trina._ As for this jacket? It belonged to a friend of mine. He uh…he's a long term friend, I guess, we were in Junior High and High School together. Same age, he still hangs around the school as a teacher assistant, sometimes people make fun of him and mistake him for a student. I would hang around the school too because, well, I wanted to."

She hung around Hollywood Arts because of her little sister, that was it. Then, there was also the Tae Kwon Do instructor who asked her to keep coming by if she still wanted extra lessons. One time, she was practicing her moves and accidentally kicked Sinjin as he was walking by. She chuckled at the memory and shook her head.

"There was a time when I kicked him on accident and the entire school laughed at him, I felt _terrible_, but he shrugged it off like it was nothing." She zipped the jacket up as a cold gust of wind blew into her, sending shivers down her spine. "He gave me this jacket the night I decided to come this way. It was more an accident really, because I left without realizing I still had the jacket on."

"Oh my. He never asked for it back?"

"No."

"Whatever happened to him?"

"I don't know. I imagine he's still down there working at Hollywood Arts. Maybe he's on his way to getting a degree. Who knows." Wanda nodded her head and walked beside her. Trina didn't often think about Sinjin, though when she did, she thought about him more frequently than anyone back home. "You understand, I don't like talking about my past. I don't want to bring my problems to Dimmsdale. This is a happy place, and I prefer keeping I that way."

"Just keep in mind, no matter how happy a place may be, it may not matter if you aren't happy yourself." While this was extremely true, Trina thought she _was_ happy. She jumped ahead and turned around, walking backwards as she spread her arms out and grinned at Wanda.

"I've got a boyfriend that loves _me_, I've got you, Cosmo and Poof as a family. I've got a town that doesn't know _anything_ about me, so they've gotten to get a chance to know _me_. I don't have to live in the shadow of my sister! I'm not judged, I'm not seen as crazy or jealous. What's there to _not_ be happy about?" Wanda bounced a finger in the air, chuckling slightly.

"You're dating a boy with a teenage mindset. Not to speak against Timmy, we love him and I know you do too, but you have to think…long term." Trina frowned and lowered her arms, sighing heavily as Wanda walked past her. "Timmy is your first love, he was your first love and will always _be_ your first love. He's a part of your past, Dimmsdale is a part of your past. You may love Timmy, but do you love him, or do you love the _idea_ of him?"

"Idea of him?"

"He hasn't changed Trina. You have, the world has, but he's still the same way he was when you fell for him _thirteen years ago._" Her heart began sinking and she quickly followed Wanda, not wishing to hear this. "You came to Dimmsdale obviously wanting something. To go back in time, essentially. It's like…it's like feeling as though you're a child all over again, am I right?"

"I guess…it just feels nice to be _accepted_."She didn't think much about Wanda's advice. She knew the woman was just looking out for her, and for Timmy too. She did love him, she cared about him.

"All I'm saying is, you need someone who is going to be able to be there for you emotionally. Magic? Yeah we got that, but magic isn't going to whisk away all your problems. Timmy has never been in a real relationship, he doesn't know the work that goes into it. He's still a boy at heart and believes that he can simply wish away anything. If he saw you crying, Trina, you know what he would do?" She folded her arms and rolled her eyes, muttering under her breath.`

"What?"

Wanda turned around, raising her eyebrow and shaking her head. "He would say 'I wish she'd stop crying', and all that's going to do is damage your tear ducts." She chuckled at that, amazed that she could actually laugh in this moment. It felt good to laugh, uplifting and energetic, she wanted to laugh more often. "You need a man that's going to sit there with you and talk to you, hold you, console you and let you cry on his shoulder for hours if need be. Someone that understands the pain you've gone through and that can help you heal, one day at a time. Right now, you're not healing. You're not coping. You may think you are, but all you're doing is using magic and this town as a shield to cover and block out what is in your past."

"I guess."

"You're hiding, Trina. If you were moving on from your past, if you were ready to cope, you'd probably at least give Vicky a decent hello. Pretty lonely to live in the same town as your own sister for five months and never even say hi to her."

"Now you know what I've had to deal with for most of my life." Trina folded her arms and narrowed her eyes. Wanda sighed and bowed her head. "You already know what life was like with Vicky. Being pushed around, crushing on Timmy and being turned down by him for that one popular girl-"

"Trixie."

"Right. My family moves away, Vicky refuses to join us, and I grow up with the light in my little sister's eyes. _Worth_ something! I meant something to her, and then I screwed up by helping her get into that goddamn Hollywood Arts. She met those friends of hers and just forgot me. All of a sudden I was _nothing_, a _nobody! _When those people hurt me, I went home and begged my sister to talk to me. She wouldn't even _look_ at me! Her friend cemented what those boys said, that I was worthless and unimportant! I just ran after that…"

"Where did you go?"

"I guess the only place my mind thought I could. I don't know. I ran to a random place and sat down, it wound up being Sinjin's place." Wanda laughed and Trina raised an eyebrow, shooting off a skeptical look at her friend. "What's so funny?" What was funny about her sitting on Sinjin's porch? She was in pain, she was traumatized, terrified, and nobody cared enough about what happened to her to say anything. "I guess maybe I was aware it was his place, I just wasn't thinking about it at the time."

"No, but you said he comforted you that night?"

"Yeah…Gave me his jacket and tried to make me feel better, but by that point, my mind was made up. I was leaving. It was March, but I stayed in like motel rooms for a few months. It was the whole Magnate hotel thing that really got me to finally come in here…"

"Yeah. You miss him at all? Sinjin?" She shrugged her shoulders and looked off towards the mall in front of them. She never honestly thought about it before. She was too enamored with Timmy to think about Sinjin.

"He's a friend. I have Timmy now." Wanda tilted her head and Trina swept her hair over her shoulder. Maybe Sinjin could comfort her in ways Timmy couldn't, but what did that really matter? Sinjin was in LA, he wasn't _there_, he was a part of a past she was never going to look back upon. Sure, she missed him, just as a part of her missed her family. She bowed her head and grasped the bottom of the jacket. "I am moving on, Wanda…I can't look back. Just like back there, I knew if I looked back at him, I wouldn't leave."

"Uh _huh_."

"Stop." She closed her eyes and breathed out through her nostrils. She wanted to say something, but wasn't sure if it would be well received. "Sometimes I just wish…and I'm only saying this as a statement…sometimes I wish none of this ever happened. Sometimes I wish I never introduced my sister to that damn school. Sometimes I wish Daddy hadn't forgotten about me." She felt Wanda's hand on her shoulder and looked over to the woman with a steadily breaking heart.

"Even if I could grant those wishes, Trina...and I wish I could do that for you, but they're all life experiences…they've molded you into who you are now. You just have to have the strength to put your best foot forward."

"It's not that easy…"

"I know."

With a heavy sigh, Trina pushed her hands into her pockets. Before crossing the street, however, a woman's black limousine parked on the curb and splashed water on the two of them. Panicked and grief-stricken that water had gotten onto the jacket, Trina's eyes widened and her mouth opened in a scream.

A girl stepped out of the car, she was wearing knee high white boots and a purple vest with denim jeans. She had a cowboy hat and extremely long black hair. Trina growled at her, recognizing her instantly, "Trixie…" Trixie's shimmering blue eyes fell upon the jacket and her hand covered over her mouth.

"Ooh I'm sorry, did I get your jacket all wet, _Tootie?_ Oh well, the water helps the tacky thing." Resisting the urge to lunge out and strangle this girl, she grit her teeth and watched her move across the street. Of course they'd met over the past few months, and they _didn't_ get along well.

"Breathe," Wanda instructed. She wanted to shout, exclaim that Trixie ruined Sinjin's jacket. "You're forgetting something…" Wanda snapped her fingers and the jacket was dry once more. Trina gasped and felt up her coat, hugging it tightly as Wanda studied her carefully. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Is there any chance you can drop a ten ton anvil on her? Maybe her car?"

"No."

* * *

What do you think of Wanda's advice? Think she's right? I think she is, Trina is in love with the _idea_ of Dimmsdale and with the idea of Timmy.


	5. Sisterly Fire

The Runaway

Disclaimer: Don't own Victorious, or FOP

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 5 (Sisterly Fire)

"Do you think Timmy's going to have to go through 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, _and_ 12th grade?" Trina asked as she and Wanda scoured the clothing department store. She held up an incredible gold designer dress and raised an eyebrow as Wanda tapped her chin. "How on earth are we supposed to pay for any of this stuff anyway? This is why I need a job."

"Well I'm sure we have money…" Wanda checked her purse and pulled out a few dollar bills. Trina put her hand to her waist and raised an eyebrow, curious to how a fairy had money. "Cosmo and I have to live, we have a baby to work with. Now as for Timmy…" Yes, six or seven years of waiting for Timmy to get to at least college level. In this day and age, Timmy wouldn't be able to get a decent job. "Crocker's gone crazy with school board meetings and counseling sessions these years, but Timmy's finally agreed to finish the 5th grade. He'll either have to drop out of school completely or go into the 6th, and likely, he'll need to be taking online classes."

"I was going to say, it looks a little weird with a 23 year old going to school with a bunch of little kids." Trina set the dress back on the rack and watched as Wanda picked up a pair of fuzzy looking purple shorts. She cringed and waved her hand in front of her face. "I don't think you'd want to be caught dead in those things, Wanda."

"Oh?" The woman studied the shorts, then tossed them back where she got them from. Trina chuckled and shook her head. Feeling a bit warm, she unzipped her jacket and let it hang loose. "Well what about these?" She looked over and saw Wanda holding up another pair of pants. They were blue with white fur around the bottom of the legs and the waist. Wanda grinned hopefully.

"I'm not sure…" She tapped her chin and squinted her eyes while reaching out to feel the pants. They were smooth in texture. As she tugged on them, she was certain they were rubber. "Nah, I don't think so." Wanda set them down, defeated, and crossed her arms. "Oh don't worry, I'm sure we'll find you some suitable looking clothes."

"Yeah, you're the fashion guru. Then again, I'm not used to anything that isn't pink or yellow."

"Two colors that just really clash if not done right." Wanda chuckled briskly and began to go through a few shirts on another rack. Much to Trina's surprise, these were darker colored shirts. She walked over and began to pull out a red shirt. The collar was circular and the sleeves went down to the wrist. Wanda raised her eyebrows as Trina matched them with a pair of dark blue jeans, then pulled a white jacket with red and pink hearts from a nearby shelf. "Here, try these on together. Let your hair down."

"Try them on without purchase?"

"Yeah, fitting room over there." She pointed to the fitting rooms and smirked as Wanda gazed over. For such a smart woman, she didn't seem all that well versed in the real world. "You don't get out much, do you?"

"Hah, hah, very funny."

"Hey, maybe we'll go clubbing after this!"

"Clubbing?"

Trina's jaw dropped and her hands rested on her hips. She closed her lips and lifted her eyes skywards, smiling slightly. "Just go try on the clothes, Wanda." Wanda hurried into the fitting room. Trina sat on a chair outside and pulled out her cell, sighing as she turned it on. She'd since changed her number and phone plan. She kept some of the old numbers, such as Sinjin's, but never thought to call any of them. Why would she?

Wanda's words baffled her, she was struck with confusion and uncertainty now. She closed her eyes and sighed heavily, trying not to let her tears come. "What the fuck are you doing, Trina?" She froze and lifted her head at the almost nasally, angry voice coming from behind her. She turned her head over her shoulder and chuckled nervously at the woman standing behind her. Vicky. She had her arms crossed and her eyes narrow. "This is my town, Trina. If you want a pity party, have it in another town." She scoffed at her sister's attempt to frighten her and slowly rose to her feet.

"Please, Vicky. You waited five months just to tell me to get out of 'your' town? Last I checked, we both grew up here." Vicky sighed and lowered her arms. "What's it to you, anyway? Should it matter? Since when do I matter to you-"

"Oh shut up." The woman's eyes closed, her bangs falling before her face. She started to strut in a circle around Trina. "How is Tori doing? How are mom and dad? Oh right, you left them didn't you. You're running away…hiding…Trina there may be room in this town for the both of us, but there's room in this town for only one of _me._ Go home._"_

"I am _nothing_ like you." Her voice cracked for a split second and Vicky scoffed angrily. "And what's it to you? You should know how I feel! Alone, worthless, unimportant…forgotten…" Vicky stopped moving and rolled her eyes, keeping her back turned towards her.

"That's just it, I _do_ know how you feel." She spun on her heels and jerked her thumb to her chest, "I'm the poster child for loneliness! Even when you were young, you and Tori were the ones that were closer than ever. You were Daddy's little princess, and of course, Tori was mom's angel. I was nothing to them. So you think I don't know what you're doing? Hiding around here, acting like you're just going to date the town's own _Happy Gilmore_ and pretend that everything is hunky dory all of a sudden? Hmm? As if!" Vicky slapped her finger towards the door, raising her voice. Trina winced in response. "That boy can't make you happy, Trina! He hasn't even gotten past the _fifth grade!_ He's still a ten year old at heart." Vicky put her hand back to her waist and shook her head. "Do you even _know_ your own heart? I just heard you talking to your friend outside about this guy you left in LA."

"So you _have_ been spying on me?"

"You're my little sister. Of _course_ I'm watching over you!"

"Since when do you care about _me?"_ That was a bit of a low blow, she was sure Vicky was just trying to be mean to push her back home. When they were younger, Vicky _was _a little bit protective of her and Tori, though she didn't show it all the time. She scoffed and turned back around, crossing her arms in an angry huff and glaring at the fitting room. What was taking Wanda so long? She gasped as Vicky slid in front of her and leaned forward, narrowing her eyes into her.

"You're _still_ my sister, Trina. No matter how cruel I am, no matter how _mean_ I am or how much contempt I have for our family…you're still my little sister and you came into this town. Not only did you put your life at risk the _first day you arrived_, but Mr. Crocker was responsible for you nearly losing it _again_." Trina stammered as Vicky slowly leaned back and shook her head. "Not to mention that even I can tell you're not happy."

"The hell I'm not!"

"No? You're not? Really now? You're living in the past, Trina."

"So what?"

"The _past_ can't help you. Look, I'm not saying I give a shit about Turner or that I don't, but I'm telling _you_ that he's not going to make you happy. Do you really love him, Trina? Do you love Timmy for real or are you as infatuated as that man-child is? You either love him, or you love the idea of him." This again? She looked away and narrowed her eyes, her heart was beginning to race and her blood boiling. "What that means, Trina, is that you're only dating him because he's a sign of happier times. You think I don't know that? That's this whole attraction you have with him."

"Like you would know."

"I _do_ know. Something hurt you, so you came running back to the one place and the one time you were happy. Am I right?" She bit her lip as Vicky folded her arms across her chest. "You get here, you meet Timmy and find out that he _hasn't changed a bit_. Can he give you what you need? Can he be the man you need? Or is he just a shield preventing you from having to face the truth?"

"Shut _up_, Vicky! Shut up!"

"I will not! You're my sister and I don't need to see you getting hurt or making dumb decisions. I don't need you taking the same path I did. You have _chances_, you have _opportunities_. Ones that I _didn't_ have! You shouldn't _be_ here, Trina! You should be back home with Tori-"

"Tori _hates me!"_ She screamed so loud that the earth shook. Vicky straightened herself as the receptionist in the shop had to excuse herself for the restroom. Trina breathed heavily, glaring into her older sister's eyes. There was a strange look in them, a look of _compassion_. It was scary, she wasn't even sure what to make of it. "Okay? Tori hates me, her friends fucking hate me, everything _changed_ when we went to LA. Dad doesn't even _care _about me, Tori became the new princess. I got duped into thinking some boy gave a damn about me." She put her hands to her chest, still screaming as Vicky glanced off to the side. "I was hurt, I was on my knees crying for my sister when I needed her most. Like I thought she needed me. You know what she said to me? You know what she did? She _ignored_ me and let her friend, her best friend, talk shit to me! That was it, I was done with them, done with LA, done with-"

"So you ran."

"Vicky?!"

"You ran. Did anyone try to stop you?" She would be lying if she said no, Sinjin didn't want her to leave. Vicky pointed to the jacket she was wearing and cleared her throat. "The man that gave you that jacket, how did he feel? He cared enough about you?"

"Well…he did try to console me, but that's not the point! I'm with Timmy, now."

"Is Timmy able to help you? Have you even _told_ him about our family? He hasn't even asked about me, has he? Trina, he's still a _kid_. You're dating someone who can _never_ be at the same emotional level as you, someone who can never be there for you. I'm trying to protect you. You can't just bottle your emotions up, pretend like the stuff in your past never happened, because it did. It happened, and you know what? Hiding and running from your problems isn't going to solve anything. You're freaking out, flashing back to bitter times, and what's Timmy going to do?"

"I…" She clasped her hands together and sighed, trying hard to fight off the feelings inside of her. Everything was clashing together like a tornado storm raging out of control. She loved Timmy, she didn't know how she felt about Sinjin. Every time she thought of him, she felt warm and fuzzy, she wanted to talk to him again, but she didn't know. She was starting to not be sure how she felt about Timmy either. Everything was just _too much!_ She put her fingertips to her forehead and groaned.

"You need a man, Trina."

"No, this is a trick, you're just trying to make me unhappy."

"The hell? What do does this have to do with me? It doesn't affect me either way! I want you to use your brains, I want you to go back home. Whether you think they don't want you around or not, they're the best people to have. Stop guarding yourself and talk to people!" Vicky pointed to the fitting room and raised her eyebrows. "Open up like you did with your one friend. Quit lying to yourself, quit being dishonest to yourself, and if anything, _Timmy._"

"He loves me, Vicky."

"Look me in the eyes and tell me, one hundred percent, you love him and have no problems helping to raise him from a man child with all of the personal drama you have going on in your own life."

"What?"

"You heard me. Do it." Vicky pointed to herself and Trina slowly looked over, her heart pounding and aggression slowly building up. "Tell me that. Tell me you're ready to move on from your past for real. Because if you ever _do_ let go of this pain you've got going on, do you think you can be genuinely happy?" Magic can't solve all the problems in the world, she knew that much. Timmy couldn't be there for her on an emotional level, he still thought balloons were romantic and didn't care to go see movies or go to ballroom dances. Vicky was right, Wanda was right, Timmy was still a _child_ at best, but he was trying.

"Timmy is _trying_ to grow up, Vicky."

"That's not what I'm looking for."

"He's _trying."_

"Still not what I'm looking for." Vicky folded her arms back over and narrowed her eyes. "Tell me for certain that you're completely in love with him, not infatuated, in love, and that you're able to move beyond that pain you have and can actually have a happy life with him. Here in Dimmsdale. That you can actually be away from Tori, from Mom and Dad, _for the rest of your life."_ She gasped out as Vicky spread her arms out and lifted her hands up defensively. "If you can tell me that, completely confidently, then I'll leave it alone."

"I…" She clenched her eyes, groaning as her heart began to cry out. She _needed_ someone to talk to about her problems. She needed to be held, to be cuddled tenderly. The sweet aroma of the cocoa powder sifted to her nostrils and touched like sweet chemicals upon her brain. She opened her misty eyes and closed her hands. She didn't know anymore. She didn't know _anything _anymore.

"Well?"

She thought she was happy. She thought she could do this, that she could escape. Timmy was doing the job, wasn't he? "I won't go back to them. LA, I mean. I just won't. I can't." She closed her eyes and shook her head. "It _hurts_ too badly. I-I just want someone to hold me, to tell me it's going to be okay…to love me tenderly. Can't Timmy do _that?"_

"I don't know. Why don't you think about it." Vicky ran her hand through her hair and sighed. "Has he done it yet?" She looked up to her sister, whimpering as her chest throbbed painfully. She couldn't yell anymore, her throat was on fire. "I've got a flight to catch."

"W-What? No, don't tell Mom and Dad!"

"Why would I?" Vicky closed her eyes and slowly shook her head. "Trina I've made my peace. You don't know the truth, why I actually left. That's why I can safely tell you that _you're wrong_. Mom and Dad? They love you. Tori, she probably thinks you're the world. They're the best people you're ever going to have in your lives, and you went and threw them away."

"What do you know?" She narrowed her eyes and turned away, crossing her arms angrily. "I thought _you_ were the world. I tried to spend time with you." Vicky rolled her eyes and shook her head. "You're the one that ran off."

"Yeah? It's not looking too hot for our youngest sister right now, is it? But I suppose you won't listen to me. I have my reasons for leaving the way I did. Like I said, I've made peace with it, but that doesn't mean I'm going to go back and connect with them anytime soon. I have no reason to."

"And you think _I_ do?"

"Probably. But like I said, I have a flight to catch. I just wanted to talk to you before you started making anymore stupid mistakes."

"Where are you going?"

"None of your business. Come around more often though, I wouldn't mind seeing you." Trina raised an eyebrow and growled as Vicky started walking off. Her body was heating up to such degrees that sweat was literally pouring from her. She stomped her foot on the ground and screamed out at Vicky, but the woman did not budge.

When she felt a hand upon her shoulder, she jumped and spun around, glaring at Wanda. The woman looked upset and concerned for her. Needless to say, with the shirt, pants, and jacket over the shirt, Wanda looked great. Her hair was down past her shoulders, which looked extremely great on her.

"You know something?" Wanda started with a sad smile. "These clothes look better on me than anything I've ever chosen with magic. I guess…magic really can't solve everything."

"Is that some crappy way of telling me my sister's right?" Wanda breathed in slowly and looked towards the exit doors.

"She seems to not want you to be with someone who can't take care of you and give you the kind of life you need. As for whether or not she's right? Well, I think…you need to take some time to let your heart figure that one out. But until then, what is this 'clubbing' you told me about? Let's take a load off."

* * *

Well, what do you think of everything? Any thoughts on what Vicky's about to do? We'll be seeing Sinjin again soon, by the way.


	6. Night on the Town

The Runaway

Disclaimer: Don't own Victorious, or FOP

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 6 (Night on the Town)

"This is clubbing!" Trina exclaimed as she extended her arms and guided Wanda into a very brightly lit building. There was a multicolored dancing stage in the center of the room, a DJ's booth towards the back, flashing colored lights coming from the roof, and hundreds of people surrounding the dancing stage. There was a bar to the right and tables to the left where waiters walked about. "Just a quick question. Is Chester the only cop in the town?"

"Close enough, he's the main one. Why do you think so many things can go wrong in this town and nothing happens?" That would explain many things that Trina had been wondering. She shrugged her shoulders and took Wanda's hands, pulling her towards the dance floor. The woman was hesitant, pulling her hands back and covering her ears. "So loud! How is this _fun?" _

It was probable that the lights were headache inducing for her, but to Trina, it seemed like a normal scene. It had been so long since she'd been out on the dance floor. "Watch." Wanda raised an eyebrow and Trina jumped out onto the dance floor. She started out putting her hands together above her head and shaking her hips towards the right, then towards the left, slowly lowering her hands.

She flipped her hair back over her head, pushing her lips out and tilting one side into a smirk as her hands slid along her body. She slowly moved her hands outwards, bringing them back up towards the air. Never was she much of a dancer, but here at the clubs, it never mattered. No one was a good dancer there. She could let loose, and nobody would judge her.

She closed her eyes and moved her right arm straight up and locked her left elbow over her head, grabbing her right elbow. There were many other dance moves she was able to do, some looked extremely well while others did not. She looked out to Wanda and curled her fingers inwards, laughing as she moved backwards, beckoning her friend onto the dance floor. Several people applauded while Wanda glanced off bashfully. It was several seconds until someone decided to push the woman out onto the floor where she attempted to dance, albeit, very horribly. Still, it was worth a shot to see her laying it all out there and trying.

Trina cheered on her friend, applauding and chanting her name. The crowd started chanting and clapping as Wanda began a semi-break dance move, shocking Trina. A smirk played at her lips as she folded her arms and shook her head, perhaps Wanda knew more than she was letting on. Either way, this was an amazing night!

Her eyes flicked off to the DJ as a familiar song came piercing her ears. Mikaila's _So in Love with Two_. What was she doing still on the dance floor? With a heavy sigh she moved her arms above her head as two dancers came up beside her. Her eyes shot open as they lifted her up by her legs. She chuckled nervously and decided to get in the mood of the song as Wanda cheered her on. "_My number one: There could never be no one like you. How come I feel this way about, My number two: Never tried to tell me what to say or do!"_

Once on the ground she put her hands to her head, tangling her fingers in her hair and moving her head in a clockwise motion. _"__I'm so in love with two! I don't want to push it, I don't want to fight, but this feeling keeps me up all night."_ She extended her hands out to the side, looking ferociously at one of the two men her fingertips rested upon the chest of. She turned her palms upwards and slowly curled her fingers in, then started to bring her arms inward. _"__If only I could decide, but I can't make up my mind. Breaking all my rues because of you."_ Her wrist rested upon her forehead as she bowed her head. The two men stepped beside her, their hands hovering over her stomach and over her chest. She lifted her head up, now mouthing the lyrics. _"You can tell me it's not right and it tears me up inside, but the problem is, I'm so in love with two. Hey, I choose the both of you!"_

She spread her wings and the men spun outwards. She twisted to the right, grabbing one of the men by their tie while the second posed, looking away and bowing his head. _"My number one: You give me everything I need, but somethings are better with-"_ She spun back around, slowly tracing her fingertips along the shoulders of the second. "My number two: He's the one that really makes me feel so good."

The dance continued for the remainder of the song, but for her, she had to wonder if the men she were dancing with were real or just a part of her imagination. Did it matter? Her heart, her thoughts, they were all jumbled up, creating confusion like she'd never felt before. Damn Vicky, spoiling her mind like this. Though some things just didn't add up, did her sister actually give that much of a damn? Why would she care?

_ No. Not tonight. Tonight is my night with Wanda!_

As the song ended, she gave Wanda a smile and moved over to her friend, laughing as she tucked her hair behind her ear. "You were amazing!" Wanda cried out, "I can't believe it!" She laughed bashfully, her cheeks red as a tomato.

"It's been a long time since I let loose like that. It feels amazing!"

"Great," A voice stabbed her eardrums and quickly deflated her, "Now get out of my mother's club." She spun around as Wanda growled Trixie's name. Trixie had her eyes narrowed upon the two and a smug look on her face. "What do you think you're doing showing your face around here?" What was it with this woman? Why did she hate her so much?

Trina crossed her arms and scowled, "What is your problem?" Trixie rolled her eyes and poked her hard in the chest, causing her to grunt and put her hand over the targeted spot.

"You. I don't like you." This wasn't news to her. Trixie growled at her and began circling her like a shark waiting for its first meal. "I don't like that you came to this town after thirteen years…and then all of a sudden, it's like you're queen. Wonder boy's beautiful little girlfriend." Trina started to roll her eyes as Trixie flipped her hair and scoffed. "Someone as good looking as that guy, stuck in the fifth grade, but yet more of an eligible bachelor than most. You know he fawned over me after you left?"

"Okay? Your point?"

"Oh yes! Fawned!" Wendy scowled once more at the girl, but it seemed no avail. Trina growled lightly and tapped her foot on the floor. Her heart was racing and her blood boiling. Trixie turned her back to her for a second and chuckled, brushing her fingertips to her forehead. "You come along, and what do you do? You steal him. All that attention, gone, because he met _you."_

"Wow, are you seriously holding a grudge over _that?"_ Why did this sound familiar to her? Didn't Tori have a similar experience when she started Hollywood Arts? She chuckled and closed her eyes, shaking her head. "Wow, you sound just like Jade."

"Jade?" Trixie spun around and lifted an eyebrow. "Jade West?" Trina froze under the woman's icy cold stare. "Oh yeah, that's my little sister. You see, Mom and Dad divorced, they moved to LA and we stayed here." Her heart clenched and her eyes began to well up with tears. _Jade_ was Trixie's _sister?_ Now she understood why Jade was so vicious, but this was _not_ what she needed!

"No…"

"Oh, and…I almost forgot…" Trixie started to laugh as Trina began to pale. Wanda put her hand to Trina's back, but it was her knees that were going weak. "Jade told me about a couple years ago…your little sister decided to spite _my_ little sister."

"No."

"Kissed her boyfriend! Would you believe that? The nerve!" She wanted to tear Trixie's face off, she wanted to beat the living shit out of the girl, and she would have if they weren't at such a public venue. "Oh Trina…Trina, Trina, Trina…yes that's right, I know your actual name and not just the nickname." Trixie pat her cheek and slowly trailed her finger along her jaw. "Remember, this is _my_ town."

"I'm not leaving."

"Oh you're not?"

"No."

"Are you sure? Is that your final answer?" Trixie smirked and folded her hands over her waist. Trina narrowed her eyes and Wanda spat at the girl, saying bluntly that Trixie would not be scaring Trina off anywhere. "Okay, I guess I can't convince you then." Trixie shrugged her shoulders and laughed, spinning around and slowly walking away. She stopped a few feet towards the door and glanced over her shoulder. "But we'll see how long that lasts."

Trina clenched her fists as the woman left. She turned her glare to the bar and had an incredible urge to down a couple shots of something strong. This was odd because she never had alcohol and she hated the smell of it. "Trina don't let her get the best of you." Wanda put an arm around her, attempting to console her.

"This can't be happening, Wanda. Trixie can't be Jade's sister!" She hadn't quite explained who Jade was, or how Jade's involvement was crucial in sending her far away from LA. She put her hand to her forehead and groaned, stumbling backwards. Her stomach twisted and bile burned like fire across her esophagus. "I think I'm going to be sick."

"Come on, let's go sit down." She groaned as Wanda led her over to the tables and made a wet rag appear in her hands. Trina raised an eyebrow as Wanda began patting the rag on her face. "Just relax, take a deep breath and calm down. Nothing to worry about, I'm sure."

"I've already got enough on my plate with everything Vicky said to me. Now I have to deal with Trixie hating me because my sister kissed her sister's boyfriend?" With that being said, Trina wasn't sure if she needed to be worried about Timmy. He could hold his own, couldn't he? Yet with a ten year old mindset, could he really? Her heart began racing as she quickly sat up. "Timmy! Oh god, she wouldn't dare…"

"What?"

"Timmy!" She grabbed Wanda's shirt and pulled her close, glaring into the woman's eyes. "Trixie might try to do something to him." After a few seconds, she shook her head and leaned back. "No…no I don't think so. She couldn't stoop that low, could she?"

The only problem was, she was doubting this. She was doubting how it would affect her. The song that had played was still fresh on her mind, and putting that with the things both Vicky and Wanda said before, she just couldn't know how she felt. She trusted Timmy wouldn't let Trixie get close enough even if she went after him.

"Trixie's just trying to scare you, I think. She's just being evil."

"Yeah…yeah I'm not going to let this ruin our night. We still have more things to do, Wanda!" Dancing was the top of the list, but now they needed to dine. They did their shopping, they did their dancing, it was time to order food. As she said this, a waiter came walking by in perfect time.

A couple hours later, they were rushing home as fast as they could. Cosmo managed to call Wanda with an emergency, saying they needed to get home urgently and he couldn't stop what was going on. Trina's heart was racing as she ran towards the front door of the small apartment. She was very afraid of what was going on and Wanda was trying to keep her calm by telling her to breathe and to not worry.

What was she about to run into? Where could she run if there were something bad? Nothing would make her leave Dimmsdale, Trixie wasn't going to scare her. As she pushed open the door, she heard Timmy shouting for someone to get away from him, to get off of him, that he had a girlfriend. Her heart stopped and her eyes widened as she stepped into the doorway.

There they were, Timmy was trying to push Trixie off him, and Trixie had him in a lip lock. She expected her heart to crash, to tear into pieces. When she saw Timmy look at her, eyes full of shock and fear, and Trixie looking more smug than ever, all she could do was go numb.

Her heart didn't shatter, it didn't break to pieces. It wasn't that she lacked the empathy, she didn't know how to react. Cosmo was above their heads, having taken the form of a ceiling fan. Poof was in the fish bowl, watching sorely. Wanda stood behind her, holding out her arms.

A single tear fell from Trina's eyes as she sought for ideas of where to go. For once, she considered going to Vicky, but the woman was likely already gone. "T-Tootie," Timmy began, finally pushing Trixie off of him. He stood up and put his hands together. "This is _seriously_ messed up, she came-"

"Enough." She closed her eyes, breathing out slowly. Run? Was she going to run again? Running from her problems, that's what Wanda and Vicky were telling her _not_ to do. "I…I'll be at your parents house. Don't come looking for me. I need to be alone…I need to think." Was she hurt by this? She didn't know. She couldn't decide.

With that, she slowly left and closed the door behind her, putting her wrist to her eye as she choked out a sob. Wanda started to come after her, but Trina needed time _alone_, and that meant away from Wanda as well. She had pictured this night ending very differently. Maybe Vicky was right, maybe she really couldn't escape her problems. Maybe she could dream. She needed to figure her heart out

* * *

Well, it was turning out to be a good night until Trixie showed up. What do you guys think? Observations?**  
**


	7. Broken Heart

The Runaway

Disclaimer: Don't own Victorious, or FOP

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 7 (Broken Heart)

_Rain_, was it raining? _No_, she was crying. She hugged Sinjin's jacket close, as if he were there to hold her. As he had that night. She breathed in heavily as she made her way towards the Turner household. It was the only place she could go, how she craved seeing Sinjin right now. He would sit out with her on the front porch, handing her a mug of his specially crafted hot chocolate. He'd tell her it would be okay, as he did before. That night hadn't been the first he had to console her when she was in tears.

No, there had been many times. But she didn't _love _him, did she? She loved Timmy, or she thought she did. Why, if she did, didn't she react? _"I'd give anything to talk to Sinjin…I'd settle for Vicky if she were here, oddly enough. Or…Tori…"_ No, she couldn't think like this. The thing was, whenever Tori's friends mocked her or some guy dumped her, she'd be upset about it sure. She'd go complain to Sinjin, he'd make a pot of hot chocolate and joke with her, telling her he doesn't intend to be a 'shoulder friend', but still sit there and let her cry. Then he'd give her that hot drink and she'd feel better.

_"Like magic…"_ Where was he now? Now that she was so far away that she couldn't reach him. No, Sinjin was more than a shoulder friend to her, but she didn't know how she felt about him. At this point, she didn't even know how she felt about Timmy.

Reaching the door, she started knocking furiously, praying the parents would answer. "Mr. Turner! Mrs. Turner!" After a minute of this, John and Mary opened the door, looking at her with concern.

"It's eleven at night, are you okay?" John asked. She shook her head and the couple led her inside. They offered to take her coat, but she clung to it. She moved to the couch and took her seat on the cushion, unable to explain to them that a queen bitch kissed their son. She wanted to hate Trixie, everything inside of her was forcing her to hate the girl, but she _couldn't_ hate her. Why? Essentially, Trixie had done what Tori did to Jade. Jade was furious, and had every right to be, even Trina had to tell Tori she messed up. Trina should be furious with Trixie!

Her mind, however, wasn't on Trixie. It was a jumbled mess, as was her heart. Mary took a seat beside her and put her arm around Trina's shoulder. "Tootie, did you and Timmy have a fight?" Even John didn't seem like he was going to ask the usual regarding Timmy's possible moving in again. It didn't seem appropriate.

She slowly shook her head, clenching her eyes and trying to weep. "I don't know what to do…" Her voice cracked and Mary instantly hugged her. "There is so much going on in my life, too much. I…I'm confused, I'm hurting, I just need…I can't do this…"

"It's okay, honey. Tell me what happened, you can talk to us. Is it about Timmy?"

"I don't _know_." Mary leaned back and raised her eyebrows as Trina wiped her eyes away. "I-I don't know if I know how I feel anymore. I thought I loved him. I want to be with him, but…" Her head began pounding as she rubbed her brow. The parents exchanged glances. Trina's chest ached and her body started to burn. "I was just in such a hurry to…to cling to my past, to be _happy_ again! Everything here, Dimmsdale was supposed to be that place, to be happy." She felt John pat her shoulder and Mary slowly nodded her head.

"Trina, if Timmy doesn't make you happy, then maybe you should consider your relationship?"

"That's just it, he _does_ make me happy! It's just, he's so goofy and-and I need someone who can…I don't know right now."

"Relationships are tough," John admitted, "They take a lot of work and a lot of thought to put into them." She looked up to the man, her eyebrows meshing together and her body trembling. "You can't rush in thinking everything is going to be okay, that everything is going to work out. Timmy is…he's _different_. He's not really relationship material because he's never been in one before. I'll be honest, before you came back, we thought he'd never leave his room. The thing with him is, he's going to take a lot of work. If you're stressed out easily, frustrated easily, then he may not be the person to be with because of how he is."

Mary lifted her hand, sighing at her husband, "I got this." Trina whimpered as the woman took her hands and looked into her eyes. "Look, you care for him and he cares for you. I can see that. But if you're confused, if you're going through some sort of trauma, then you need to focus on _that_. Take care of _you_ first. He's still very young at heart, and yes, he's a bit naïve. His answer is simply wishing the problem away."

"Which oddly always seems to work." Trina chuckled at the father and swept away the tears in her eyes. John crossed his arms and exhaled sharply. "Seriously. We tried to get him to move out when he turned 23 an his words were 'I wish you hadn't sold the house'. The next thing we know, the real estate agent comes by and boom, our house is no longer on the market!"

Mary pat Trina's hand and started to smile. "You see sweetie. Very much like a child, he has a tendency to think simple. He holds you on a pedestal, as a young person would. Thinks you're perfect. He…doesn't know what love is, I'll say that much, because he's never _experienced _it. That being said, you need to seriously think about what you want in your life, you need to think about who you are and where you want to go. Is our Timmy the right man for you, or do you need someone that can provide you with more emotional support than he can? The most important person in your life is going to be yourself, remember that."

"Y-Yeah…I will." She sniffed and pulled her hands back, running them through her hair. "Do you-you think I can stay here for a couple days? At least until maybe my sister gets back? I don't want to impose. I just can't be around Timmy right now, I'm too upset and I need to think."

"Of course, we're happy to have you if you need us."

"Thank you…" She watched as the parents made their way out of the room. Maybe they were right. Maybe she needed to take a break from Timmy, from dating, and just focus on whatever issues she had internally. She needed to seriously _think,_ and she couldn't do that with all the pressures around her. "Funny. I never imagined them being so…wise. Yet, they know Timmy better than I do…"

The next morning she awoke to the sun shining and the smell of maple syrup. Yawning, she stretched out her arms and looked down to the brown blanket laying over her. She smiled and ran her hand through her hair. She didn't know when she fell asleep the night prior, but the time alone had done her some good. She still didn't know what she wanted in life, but she knew what she had to do.

It was going to be hard and excruciatingly painful, but she had to do this. It wasn't that she was unhappy with Timmy. He had a very big spot in her heart, but he was as Wanda said, her first love. Vicky had solid points to consider, he may not be the guy for her. Just as his parents said, Timmy might not be able to provide her the support she needed.

She wanted to be with him, she wanted to be with him so badly, but she honestly didn't know how she felt. She knew she couldn't have her problems magically wished away, and while Timmy was beginning to learn not everything could be fixed with magic, he still had a tendency to think they could.

He was sweet, charming, innocent, and she really didn't want to break his heart. She had to be _honest_ with him, though! She needed to be true to him. She wasn't ready for a relationship, and any relationship, she needed to go slowly. He couldn't understand why she didn't like his spontaneous kissing or hugging, he couldn't understand some of the pains she'd gone through. He'd yet to completely grow up. Some things about him, such as the fifth grade education, she'd ignored for the sake of just being attached to her past. In reality, she didn't think she'd like that for a long term relationship. No, she didn't have the patience.

Her heart was breaking still, she felt terrible, but didn't want to lead him on. She moaned and looked into the kitchen where Mary was making waffles. The woman looked up from the stove and waved at her. Judging by the sweet smell coming to her nostrils, this was probably going to be the only good part about this day.

She was essentially about to break up with a kid. Her heart screamed in agony as her head fell into the couch. She couldn't think like this! Why? Why did this have to be so difficult? So painful? Was this her giving up on running away from the past? Was this her attempt at moving on with her life? She honestly didn't know. All she wanted to do was spend some time thinking about her life, about her future, and she needed to do that on her _own._

On her way to Timmy's, her heart was filling with anxiety. She was thinking of what she was going to say, but at the same time, was scared half to death. When she actually arrived, Cosmo and Wanda were standing outside in human form. She paused when she saw Trixie leaving. "What's this?"

"They were up all night fighting," Wanda complained. "He was angry about what she did." He'd thrown a temper tantrum? She understood he was angry, but to keep Trixie there to yell at all night was a little startling. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes as Wanda moved over and put her hand to her shoulders. "Trina are you okay? What's going on."

"I…I just, I need some time to think, Wanda. I-I'm calling things off with Timmy for now. I have to." Wanda opened her mouth, then closed it, slowly nodding her head. "I really care about him, Wanda. I don't want to lose him, but…"

"You need to figure out what you want and need from life."

"Yeah…but I'm scared."

"It's okay. Timmy will be fine. He'll probably try to win you back, but he'll be fine." She chuckled nervously and swept away a tear as Timmy walked out. He saw her and smiled happily, then rushed to her side.

"Trina you came back, are you okay?" She flinched for a second then smiled, gently taking his hand in hers. He raised an eyebrow and looked down at her hand. "Okay?"

"Listen Timmy, I…we need to talk…"

"Is this about last night? Cause I gave Trixie a piece of my mind, there is _nothing_ going on there." She sucked in a deep breath and shook her head as Cosmo and Wanda walked up behind him.

"It's nothing like that…" She led him over to the porch bench and sat down with him. "Timmy. I care _a lot_ about you. More than I've cared for most guys. You're sweet, honest, innocent…but I have to be honest with you." His face started to turn to sadness as he began realizing where this was headed. She put her hand to her chest, fighting back the tears. "We kind of rushed into this. You don't even know what's gone on in my life. There are a lot of things in my past that I've…I've been hurt, Timmy. Emotionally, mentally and _physically_."

"So? We can still-"

"No." Her hand moved towards her eyes, the tears had finally fought their way out and were now hugging her cheekbones. "Timmy, I honestly don't know what I want in life right now. I need to do a lot of soul searching, a lot of thinking."

"We can do it together?"

"I came here to Dimmsdale, running away from my past. Running away from a lot of pain and a lot of trauma. I came here using it as a shield, and lately a lot of things are resurfacing." She pointed towards the direction Trixie had just walked off from. "I just found out Trixie is related to someone who _really_ hurt me." She rested her hand on her leg and clenched her eyelids. "How would you…console someone who has been beaten down? Magic, Timmy, Magic can't help me pick up the broken pieces of my life." She put her hand to his cheek, gazing into his sad eyes. "I honestly want to be with you. You were my first love, but…I don't think…"

"You don't know?"

"Yeah…I need to think about some stuff on my own. I can't be in a relationship right now, Timmy. I can't lead you on, making you think I'm happy when I'm breaking up inside. I can't do that to you, I don't want to hurt you."

"I don't want to cause you pain either. If you think…taking a break is what you need to do…" Tears were coming to his eyes as well. It was hard for her to accept, as it was for him. "Then fine, but, I still love you." She started to smile and leaned forward, gently pecking the corner of his lips. "Where will you stay?"

"Right now, it looks like your parents are willing to let me stay with them for a while. At least until Vicky comes back…"

"Vicky?"

"Yeah, we uh, kind of reconnected. I'm not sure I can say whether it was a good connection or not, but I…I think I kind of want to at least talk to her. Try to sort some things out with her."

"You should do that. Hey? Maybe we can get back together after a while?" He smiled hopefully, pulling on her heartstrings.

"I don't know right now, Timmy. I'm not making promises to anyone, at this point. Relationships…." Of all kinds, such as the relationships with her sisters and her parents, she failed. Tori's friends? She failed those too. She even walked out on Sinjin! "They're just not my thing. Even back home, I had a really great friend, but I kind of left him behind."

"Why?"

"Selfish I guess? I was hurting…I wanted to come back here, thinking things would be better. Things would change…but trouble…found its way back to me."

"I understand." Timmy got up and walked for the door of his apartment, muttering under his breath to not cry. "I wish everything would work out…" Cosmo and Wanda kept their heads bowed, not even attempting to bat an eyelash at this. He slowly opened the door and moved inside.

Trina bowed over and buried her head in her hands, weeping gently as her heart started to break. Wanda moved beside her and started rubbing her back and telling her things would be okay, but she didn't know. She honestly was beginning to think her future would be just as bad and lonely, if not worse, than Vicky's ever was.

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Well? Your thoughts on the chapter? Seems the parents had some good advice too, and Trina's probably starting to realize that everything everyone's telling her has been right.


	8. Searching for Her

The Runaway

Disclaimer: Don't own Victorious, or FOP

A/N:

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Chapter 8 (Searching)

Los Angeles reflected off Sinjin's sunglasses as he rode into town in his silver Nissan convertible. His hair had grown longer and wavier and stopped midway between his chin and shoulders. He had a light stubble on his jaw and a tanned body. Since he'd said goodbye to LA, he'd grown a bit buffer, Now he was returning home, a bit defeated. Things changed, a little too much, but he could understand why. When Trina left, it was as though the world had ceased to spin. Not just for him, but for everyone that knew her.

He set his elbow on the edge of his door and slipped his fingers through his hair as he rolled to a stop at a red light. For him, he spent the rest of the semester begrudgingly waiting for Trina to return home. For once he was unable to be there for her. When Summer came, he nixed the fall semester of college and decided to take off to try and find her. Many months on the open road hardened him, changed him. He kept checking back home to see how things were going.

Sinjin grabbed the metal mug that he had his famous hot chocolate in, he'd developed his own recipe and sold hot chocolate while on the road. He named it 'Katrina's Hot Cocoa' after Trina, of course. He also had his own special blends of coffee to choose from, some said it put _Keurig_ to shame. He'd not given up on finding her, nor would he give up. He needed a break, though, he was feeling particularly homesick. He sipped his drink and closed his eyes as the memory of everyone's reaction to Trina's departure the next day weighted heavily on his mind. How he wished things could have gone differently, he wanted to convince her to stay.

_Tori and her friends were silent for once at the table, she and Jade had been fighting on and off, their friendship was close to being over. Sinjin felt uncomfortable walking towards them, and even more so when Jade snapped at him for being in her personal bubble. He honestly didn't care, he wanted to know if Tori had seen Trina. "Tori, is Trina okay?" Tori looked up at him, bags under her eyes._

_ "We saw her come home last night," Tori replied weakly, her voice strained and cheeks stained with formerly cried tears. "I should have looked up sooner. I didn't know something was wrong."_

_ "I didn't mean to yell at her," Jade declared, "I just…I have problems, okay?!"_

_ "She yelled and ran off, when we looked we saw something happened to her. We went after her, but couldn't find her…I had to go home, I left a note on her bed, but when I woke up this morning…I found this!" Tori held up a slip of paper and Sinjin grabbed it from her, gasping as he read the two words._

_ "No! She can't be! I thought…" They studied him as he hunched forward, palms flat on the table. They said they spent almost the entire night searching for her, but she never went home. "She came to me last night. She was crying, she was wounded, beaten, hurt, devastated…she said no one cared about her, that she was leaving. I tried to convince her not to." Tori began shuddering as the others exchanged pitiful glances. "That guy she dated last night?" He tried not to be bitter with them, but it was extremely hard not to be after what happened. He narrowed his eyes. "He_ beat_ her. He attacked her, he and his friends." _

_ Trina gasped out and Jade coughed on her drink. Almost instantly, Tori's glare fell on Jade. Jade's expression hardened and guilt flashed through her eyes. He went on to explain the trauma Trina said she endured. Eventually, Tori screamed out, bawling her eyes and cursing Jade, cursing herself._

This was a common sight over the next several months. Tori never meant to ignore Trina. She loved Trina to death, Trina was her entire world. Every day since then, Tori would sit not at her friends' table, but an empty table, and she would clutch Trina's stuffed dog, Snowflake. Her friendship with Jade had been all but destroyed. In recent months, the two were working on patching things up, but it was still a bit rocky. They did a Christmas video with Cat, but that was the most recent thing they did together. Andre was dating her now, but he gave her space where needed.

Beck and Jade were constantly fighting. Jade was _still_ feeling bad over what she'd said and Beck was angry that Jade basically ruined their best friend's life and family. Mr. and Mrs. Vega had a rocky marriage. Since Trina left, David had been doing all he could to find her. Unfortunately, his work prevented him from leaving the area for long. He barricaded himself in his office and started working long nights. He and Holly had many fights and last Sinjin heard, Holly was close to moving out. Tori was devastated by this.

Yes, things had taken a turn for the worse. David had even been calling the police in his old hometown for the first two months. The officer, Chester, kept saying he'd not seen or heard of anyone matching the description of Trina. For all anyone knew, she was as good as dead. Sinjin didn't want to accept that as an answer, and he refused to accept it until he found a body at least.

His parents told him to give up the ghost. Tori's friends were trying to console her, all of them suspected the worst and they each blamed themselves, every last one of them. David was the only one, aside from Sinjin and Tori, that refused to accept Trina was gone. He'd never quite known what the hometown was, and David didn't like to talk about it much. One of these days, he'd like to travel there, but he didn't actually have much reason to if the police there said Trina wasn't there.

As the light turned green, he saw a man matching Seth Roland's description walking down the street. He raised an eyebrow and hummed, there was a voice in the back of his mind telling him to follow Seth.

Taking another sip of his drink, he took a right turn and slowly tailed the shifty asshole. He wanted to take Seth and string him up like a piñata, then smack him around several times with a bat. He almost did, but resisted the urge. David investigated Seth and his friends after Sinjin informed him what Trina had said, and no proof was found that Seth had anything to do with her disappearance.

Now, however, Sinjin was receiving a strong feeling that if he followed Seth, he might find the key to Trina's location. He slowly licked his lips and narrowed his eyes upon the man. He had to have patience, though patience was not a big virtue of his right now. Was Trina alive? Was she dead? Maybe he would soon find out._ "I won't give up on you, Trina. Mark my words, I will not give up. Even if it means pummeling the fuck out of this little shit-nut, I will find you."_

Seth ducked into an alleyway, so Sinjin parked by the curb. He flicked a button, making the top of his car rise up over his head. His dark windows rolled up and he studied Seth closely. The boy was meeting with Dennis and Zachary. It looked as though they had cocaine in their hands. More than the legal amount. It would be hell if they got busted with that. He started to smirk, coming up with ideas of what he could do to these punks.

However, his thoughts were cut short when he saw a woman in a green sweater walking into the alleyway. "Hello? What is this?" He rolled his window down as the woman confronted the three men. He wanted to hear what was being said.

"You boys," the woman said with a low growl. She ran her hand through her reddish brown hair and locked her deadly eyes onto them. "I've spent the last three days trying to locate you. Seth Roland, Dennis and Zachary."

"And who the hell are you?" Seth scoffed. "Why should we care about an old buzzard?" The woman laughed once, her hands on her hips. In an instant her hand shot out and grabbed Seth's neck, slamming him against the wall. Sinjin's eyes widened and his body froze. His heart began pounding as he watched the other two start running towards her. She threw Seth into Dennis, then slammed a fist into Zachary.

The three men lay on the ground, groaning as the woman's dark shadow hovered over them. "The name's Vicky." Sinjin's eyes widened. _Vicky?_ It was as though the name were rolling off Trina's lips herself. Seth looked up at Vicky. She slammed a foot down into his groin and pointed a sharp finger at him. "I'm here because of something you did to my sister ten months ago. How do you think it feels to be beaten down? To be told you're worthless? Useless? Well? I have no patience for you motherfuckers!"

Seth screamed as Vicky grabbed a nearby bottle and slammed it down onto his head. The fight was as one-sided as it gets, with her remaining in constant control. Her movements were smooth and fluid, her attacks were swift and violent. The three boys were left unconscious and bleeding out as Vicky hovered above them, narrowing her deadly glare.

Was this woman really Trina's sister? Vicky Vega? Perhaps he would have to follow, find out. He was a little afraid to mess with her, seeing what she just did to Seth. He had it coming, yes, but still Vicky was a force to be reckoned with!

Also, if she knew what happened to Trina, then Trina _must_ be alive! His heart began to speed up as he watched Vicky walk towards a blue rental Volkswagen. He debated calling the police, but when he saw Seth waking up, he figured everything would be fine. Besides, Seth probably wasn't going to report being attacked by some woman in a dark alleyway while being all coked up.

Sinjin moved his gaze to Vicky's car, smiling cheerfully as she drove off. He had _hope_, or maybe this was his last hope. Either way, he needed to figure out if this was a lead or not. If it was, then he was happy for that intuition which told him to follow Seth.

_"God please be what I'm looking for."_ He sipped the hot chocolate once more and turned his eyes towards the cup, smiling gently. "Trina…I'm on my way. I'm sure of it…I'm coming." He lifted his gaze up and started the car, then slowly drove after Vicky. He was one hundred percent confident this would turn out right. "I've found you, Trina…"

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Sinjin's on his way! Looks like Vicky wanted to get even with Trina's attackers, we'll be seeing Seth again. Sinjin is making his way to Dimmsdale, who all thinks he can manage to convince Trina to look back to LA?


	9. Sisters by Blood

The Runaway

Disclaimer: Don't own Victorious, or FOP

A/N: You know the reason I'm updating daily on this one is because the story is already complete, right? If updating turns out to be an issue for anyone, don't hesitate to let me know!

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Chapter 9 (Sisters by Blood)

Trina woke to the pleasant smell of coffee and toast, once more she was on the couch of the Turner's. It had been several days now, and Vicky still hadn't come back to Dimmsdale. Since she'd been away, Trina had been looking after the daycare she was running. Likely, her sister wasn't going to like it, but she could shove it up her ass if she complained. "Good morning, Trina!" Mary exclaimed as she came rushing in with a fresh cup of coffee. She'd since asked the Turners to go ahead and call her by her real name, since it seemed a little more pleas ant to hear. "I've made you some fresh coffee."

"Thank you." She sat up, wrapped the blanket around her shoulders and too the coffee cup. It had been a long couple of days, but oddly quiet. She'd seen Timmy almost every day, he was often talking to her and asking how she was doing. Wanda and Cosmo were doing well too, she and Wanda hung out frequently. Trina sipped the warm coffee, delighting in the caramel creamer. "You and Mr. Turner doing well today?"

"Yes." Mary turned around to adjust a nearby plant. While she was doing this, Trina took another sip of the morning coffee. Flowers appeared to her right, startling her slightly. She raised an eyebrow and glanced over at the card. _Good morning, I hope your day is filled with wonder and happiness, love Timmy. _This was almost every morning he sent her some morning best wishes. It was sweet of him, but she was beginning to prefer him to just bring flowers if he was going to do anything. When the woman turned back around, she raised an eyebrow and pointed, "Were those there before?"

"I'm not sure how to answer that." She took the flowers and handed them to Mary, smiling brightly. "Good morning?" Mary took them and studied the tag, humming lightly. Timmy didn't understand, Trina wasn't interested in a relationship anymore. He kept trying to win her heart back, but it was going to take a lot more than magic for her to even consider dating _anyone_. Equally hurtful was each time she saw Timmy, Trixie would come running and latching herself to him. Granted he'd push her off, but by then, Trina would have already left the area. She just didn't want to deal with it. "What time is it? I need to get to the daycare."

"You think your sister's going to like that you've been working there in her place?"

"I _guess_ we'll find out." Mary laughed and gave her a morning hug, suggesting that she first eat breakfast before heading out.

After she got cleaned up and had breakfast, Trina was met at the daycare by many smiling children. They were out of their typical orange uniforms and were playfully skipping about the room and drawing on little sheets of paper. So Trina had them bend the rules just a little bit, what was it going to hurt to let them let loose?

"Vicky never let us do anything," one girl muttered as she threw her arms around Trina. This was one of the older girls. She had long curly black hair, a sunshine shirt and long purple skirt. Her name was Megan. Trina had gone ahead and made nametags for each and every one of the kids, so she knew their name by heart. It was an amazing feeling to see their happy faces, and she did it all without the use of magic. Wanda had actually admitted to her that it was quite a feat.

"Well I don't know why that would be, Megan." She knelt down and hugged the girl. Megan looked over her shoulder, then back, smiling cheerfully.

"She needed things not to be out of control." Megan sucked in a deep breath of air and folded her arms, nodding sharply. "The kids here would get unruly and out of control, so she was forced to make a bunch of rules." That was strange, considering the kids were acting fine with her around. She started to question it, but Megan wasn't finished yet. "With you, we _want_ to behave. You let us have fun and it doesn't get too crazy. We like you a lot!"

"Aw, well that's sweet." Megan grabbed her hand, wanting to show her something the kids had done overnight. They got to the eastern wall where several sheets of paper had been pasted to a wall in the form of a heart. The papers on the inside were colored red for the heart, and some other sheets spelled out _'We Love Trina'._" She put her hands over her mouth, ecstatic and thrilled that the children would do something like this for her. "Oh. You guys! You're so wonderful!" She hugged Megan tight, the girl laughed and hugged her back. "We _might_ have to take that down before Vicky gets back, though."

"Oh that's right…"

"Well, she is my sister and I don't want to mess things up for her too much by changing _her_ workplace without asking."

"Too. Late!" Trina winced and Megan's face twisted in shock. She slowly straightened herself and turned to face the music. Vicky had her arms crossed and was tapping her foot angrily. Her eyes bore into her, as though burning her very soul. "I go away for a few short day, and I come back to find someone has _transformed _my daycare center? What the hell, Trina! What the hell?"

"It was so _gloomy_, I couldn't stand it! I had enough gloom, sorry. I just thought I'd look over your daycare while you were away. I needed _something_ to do." She didn't want to get smacked around by her sister or anything like that, but she was learning a little more about standing up for herself. With Trixie, she really had to do that. The kids stepped up to defend her, stating the daycare actually made more money with Trina's changes than it did before and they were happier now.

"I'm not getting paid for you to be _happy_, now sit your sunshiny butts down! This is between _me_ and my _sister."_ The kids instantly when back to what they were doing. Anger spiked through Trina and she clenched her fists, stepping forward. She wasn't one to tell someone else how to do their job, but Vicky didn't have to be so damn _miserable!_

"You stop it! These are good kids!" Vicky raised her eyebrow, tucking the corner of her lip up into a slight smirk. "Sure I've made twice as much money as you were making, and that's because the kids were going happier. That's not the point, the point is, I thought I'd do a nice thing for you. In fact," Trina pointed towards Megan and Vicky turned her gaze towards the shy girl, "Megan here said the reason you had all those rules was because they would go crazy. Well they haven't gone crazy yet, and I didn't change your rules that much. I just allowed them to have _fun_, to be kids! Is that so wrong?"

"Wrong?" The woman looked around at the children drawing and playing with whatever toys they had. She lowered her arms and lifted her shoulders. "No. No it's not wrong. I actually have no problem with them having fun." Trina was shocked to hear those words, and judging by the startled expressions of the children, so were they. Vicky exhaled and closed her eyes. "Rather, my problem is you didn't actually _ask_ me to do anything. Even though we're sisters, we haven't talked in years. You can't just stroll into where I work, change stuff around, and expect me not to be mad. From eight to three, Monday through Friday, these kids are mine. Don't make changes without asking me first!"

"I guess not…I'm sorry Vicky, I just thought…I don't know." Trina turned around and moved her hand towards her forehead, sighing tiredly. She moved her hand out for a second and let out a sigh. "I just got out of a relationship and things are just…things aren't good for me. Again."

"Again?" Vicky chuckled and walked over to her, putting her hand over her shoulder. "Listen Trina, your problems don't go away if you run. They'll find you eventually."

"Tell me about it."

"Yeah. Now, let's not talk here. We can talk at my place…" Vicky looked out at her daycare and raised an eyebrow. "You know what, it's actually not that bad. I can live with this. You still looking for a job?"

"Maybe…"

"Well _for now_, you can stick around here. You seem to have a knack with the children." She brightened, her heart beginning to lift out of the muck. Vicky rolled her eyes at the growing smile and smirked back at her. "Don't get used to it."

"You're just being nice cause I'm your little sister." She smirked back at Vicky, wagging her eyebrows at the woman. Vicky chuckled and pat her shoulders.

"Like I said. Don't get used to it."

Vicky's home wasn't that large, but it wasn't small either. It was a nice two bedroom house, with one guest bedroom, and an open living room. The two sisters sat on the burgundy sofa, each leaning on the opposite edges. In front of the couch was a brown coffee table with a glass surface, and in front of that was an oak TV Stand and a flat screen television on top.

Vicky had two coasters on the coffee table, each coaster had a coffee cup on top. "So, you're not with Timmy anymore? What happened?" Trina looked towards her coffee cup and shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know. I just…I don't know what I want in a relationship." She grabbed her coffee mug and brought it to her lips, sipping slowly. Vicky closed her eyes and hummed thoughtfully. "I really like him, but I can't be with him if I'm just being with him to cling to a part of my past that was happier."

"Very true. How did he take it?"

"He's still trying to win me back, not as much, but he would like to. I just can't be in a relationship."

"Don't be, you need to focus on yourself, Trina." Vicky grabbed her own coffee and sipped it. Trina listened to the faint ticking of the clock above the television. It was semi-hypnotic.

"Trixie…Trixie is Jade's older sister. It explains _so_ much, but at the same time, she kissed Timmy…" Vicky raised an eyebrow as Trina stared down at the coffee in her hands. "I didn't even react. I couldn't, I didn't know how to react."

"I see. Well, at least she made you think about certain issues. Who is Jade?"

"She's the one that told me I meant nothing to anyone. One of Tori's friends." Vicky scoffed and gestured to her door, which was in the direction of the daycare center.

"Not to what those kids think, apparently." Trina began to smile, she appreciated hearing those words. Vicky held her mug with two hands and placed it carefully on the coaster, sighing as she did so. "Look Trina, I'll admit, I have some pent up anger issues, and I take it out on people. That's just how I am. I don't want you going the same route. You don't need to make the mistakes and choices I made. I'm not saying go running back to LA, by all means, don't go if you're not ready, but don't shut those people out of your lives."

"Why not?" She set her mug down and crossed her arms. "You did. Why would you tell me not to do something that you clearly believe in."

"Because it's _different_ with me."

"How so?"

Vicky stared at her for several seconds. It was a little uncomfortable, but at this point, she'd take any reaction whatsoever. "I don't think you could handle the truth, Trina. I know you're not naïve, but you've already got enough stress going on."

"So just tell me, then! I don't need the _extra _stress of wondering why my older sister decided to screw off and leave the family!" She knew it was a bit hypocritical sounding of her, but was she wrong? Was she wrong to be angry with Vicky? Her sister breathed in slowly and closed her eyes.

"Fine. I warned you. Just…listen, I could tell you that mom and dad love you. They do, I'm sure they do, because they loved you growing up." Trina nodded her head and started to look off towards the blank television. "As for me? You know Mom and Dad have been married for thirty five years, I'm twenty nine. You want the truth? David isn't my father."

"What?" Trina snapped her gaze back to Vicky, her face paled and her heart stopped beating for the moment. Had she heard correct? This couldn't be right! "What do you _mean_ our dad isn't your dad? And what does that have to do with you running off!"

"Everything. Also, I didn't run away, I just didn't move to LA with them." Vicky looked towards the clock and raised her eyebrows as the pendulum swung back and forth. "You see. About thirty years ago, Mom took a trip to LA." Trina wasn't sure she wanted to hear this, but she'd waited thirteen years for this story. If she wasn't going to hear it now, then when? She bowed her head and Vicky looked over at her with a pitiful glance. "You don't need to know too much about what happened. Mom and Dad made up afterwards, but it didn't change the fact that she got pregnant with me."

"So you left because of their affair?"

"Sort of." Vicky stood up and walked over to a picture on the side wall, adjusting it and straightening it. Trina watched with a heavy heart. She couldn't believe her mom would cheat on her dad, but lately, the woman _had_ been acting strangely with their dad's partner. Moreover, the partner kept flirting with her. "Growing up, Dad loved you and Tori, as did Mom. He didn't spend much time with me, and Mom always had this look of _guilt_ in her eyes. It was too much to take."

"I imagine…"

"Then one day they wanted to up and move to LA. Dad was being offered a job. The man that was to be his partner? That was _my_ father." Trina's jaw dropped as her sister turned back around and crossed her arms. "I refused to go to LA because of _that_. I refused to go because I didn't want to have to deal with that man being in our lives. Like I said before, I've made my peace with it." She moved over to her and knelt down before her, resting her hand on top of Trina's knees. "You don't have to run away, Trina. I didn't run, I _chose_ this life. I _chose_ not to follow the family. I've made my bed."

She felt her heart breaking and tears coming up once again. It was irritating, she hated to cry. She wasn't sure whether to be angry at Vicky, to be angry at her mom or just her parents. "So all these years? I thought you hated us." Vicky closed her eyes as Trina brought her hand up to her forehead. A sea of nausea was sweeping over her, it was beginning to be much harder to process a single secure thought.

"Don't be angry at Mom for a mistake she made thirty years ago. I am what I am, nothing more and nothing less. I don't deny who I am, I accept it. You haven't discovered who you are yet, I don't think." Vicky slowly rose to her feet and looked off to her hallway on the right. "The guest bedroom is the room farther down the hall. You can stay there if you want. Work on yourself, Trina…Eventually, I think you should go back to LA."

"I won't…I just…I can't do that, Vicky." She moved her hand to her stomach and sighed. No matter what anyone said, she couldn't bear the thought of going back there. Seth was there, Tori's stupid friends were there, and for the most part, nobody wanted her there.

"Okay well…then eventually you're going to need to find a place to stay. You can't live here forever, just, until you get on your feet."

"Thanks…"

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I hope you enjoyed this chapter, tell me what your thoughts are on Vicky's revelation.


	10. Grocery Shopping

The Runaway

Disclaimer: Don't own Victorious, or FOP

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 10 (Grocery Shopping)

"Where did these flowers come from?" Vicky's voice woke Trina from her slumber in the guest room. She woke her eyes to see her sister cleaning the room. With a light moan, Trina pushed herself up with her elbows. The bed was extremely soft and comfortable, a change from the bed in Timmy's apartment, and the couch at the Turner home. She rubbed her eyes and looked over to see Vicky pointing at a red rose on the table with a card from Timmy. She smiled at the flower as Vicky read the card. "How the hell? Did Timmy get into my house last night?"

"Um, no…" This was not going to be easy to explain. As sweet as it was, the flower wishing was going to have to stop. Although, seeing Vicky in an apron and with a bottle of windex in her hand was rather amusing. "Can I ask why you're cleaning the room _now_?" Vicky put her hands to her hips and tilted her head towards the right.

"You fell asleep the minute you touched those sheets last night, so I figured I'd let you sleep. I still haven't been able to get the bedroom ready for guests because I don't usually _have_ guests. Now it's noontime and you need to wake up one way or another." She was startled that she'd slept so late, but she couldn't help it. She stretched her arms out and yawned loudly, causing Vicky to cringe. "God you're a loud yawner…anyway, either get up and grab the vacuum and help me clean, or get up and make yourself some breakfast. I have eggs in the fridge, pop tarts in the pantry, and a dozen other things. Help yourself."

"Actually you're out of milk." She woke up at some point of time during the middle of the night and went to grab herself a midnight snack. She wanted a glass of milk and there was none. Vicky groaned and returned to the large window on the side of the room, spraying it with the Windex. "I think I'll run to the market and grab some milk and some bananas. Do you need anything else?"

"I am running a little low on my cereal. You could grab us a couple boxes. I usually have Honey Bunches of Oats, the honey roasted version. You could grab a couple boxes of those if you like them."

"I actually love those, but I prefer the one with the strawberries. I'll pick you up a box of honey roasted and I'll get myself the strawberries."

"All right, that works. So Milk, cereal, and bananas. Twenty bucks ought to be enough." Trina watched her sister pull her wallet out and remove the money, she was shocked, but grateful. It would be hard for her to shop, considering she had no money. "Go get dressed, have some breakfast if you want, and I'll be here…cleaning up the house."

"Okay."

Saturday morning, or afternoon in this case, was always a nice pleasant day. At the market, she was extremely relaxed and calm. She looked for skim milk and decided to put two gallons in the cart, one chocolate and one regular. In the past, she remembered Vicky always loved chocolate milk, and she herself enjoyed it, so there couldn't be anything wrong with that decision.

When she made it to the cereal aisle, she found the boxes with ease. They had both types that were requested. Of course, she got a couple bunches of bananas. All in all, she was adding the total in her head up to be roughly seventeen dollars. "I think I'll pay her back when I get some money." Vicky informed her that while she ran the daycare how she wanted, it was actually owned by someone else, and therefore someone else paid her. Should she ever hire another employee, that same owner would pay _that_ person.

As she made her way out of the fruit section, she nearly ran into Timmy, doing some shopping of his own. She was astonished by this, until of course, she noticed the greenish tint on the handle. She'd come to remember and recognize that the objects Wanda and Cosmo enchanted usually turned their respective color.

"Hey Tootie! Wanda convinced me that I should do some shopping." This was likely one of the first few times that he was actually _not_ using a wish to get something he wanted. She gave him a smile, listening as he went on, "I uh, she and Cosmo told me I needed to start doing things for real and not just wish for everything."

"They're not wrong, Timmy." She leaned her elbow against her cart and closed her eyes, breathing out slowly. "As a matter of fact, you saw how well I changed the daycare center, right? No magic there, just initiative." Timmy nodded, congratulating her on her effort. "And I'm starting to work on my relationship with my sister now, she's back home and I'm staying with her. As a matter of fact, I'm doing some shopping for her while she cleans house." She waved her hands over the cart, impressed with herself. She didn't know if she could patch things up with Vicky or not, but she hoped to. Learning the truth from Vicky was hard, and she was still trying to swallow what she heard about her mother. Magic was in _no way_ repairing this mess.

"Well I'm glad you're working on your relationship with her. I never thought she could get along with anyone…how'd she take the changes at the daycare?" Trina smirked proudly and wagged her eyebrows.

"She came around. As a matter of fact, she's letting me start working there!" Timmy congratulated her once more. She remembered the morning flowers and started to frown, she almost forgot to bring them up and they _were_ important. As much as she liked waking to them, it was overstepping the boundaries just a bit. "Um, Timmy, we actually need to talk about something." He frowned and quickly nodded, genuinely interested. "The flowers. They're nice to wake up to and I think it's really sweet of you to make them appear…" He started to smile, a glimmer of hope fell into his eyes. She didn't like it too much, mostly because it made it much harder to turn him down. "It's a little creepy, I mean Vicky asked me if you broke into her house last night…"

"Oh. I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"It's okay. But you're going to have to stop. I said I didn't want a relationship right now, I'm not tying myself down to anyone and it's important that I work on outside relationships with people like my sister. I love that you are thinking of me, but right now, it's too much Timmy…" His face fell for a minute and he shrugged his shoulders.

"Yeah Wanda said it might be a little bad of me to be doing that so often, I'll try not to. For the record though, Cosmo's the one granting the wishes." Cosmo shouted out from the cart and Trina chuckled at him. "Sorry if it's been bothering you."

"Timmy, I think it's really sweet." She hugged him and pat his back, she didn't want him feeling bad in any way. "It's not a bother to me as much as it might be a bother to other people. For instance, how am I supposed to explain to Vicky that you're not breaking into her house and planting flowers?" Timmy laughed and swept his finger across his eyes.

"Yeah. You know, I could get Cosmo or Wanda to erase that event from-"

"No! No Timmy, there's no need to use magic on my older sister. I think she's had enough magic effects on her for one lifetime." This included being struck by cupid's arrow by Jorgen, having a changed personality by the spirit of Christmas, and many other things throughout her teenage years. "I think I can handle that one."

"Right, sorry, I have to remember that." He rubbed the back of his neck and let out a defeated sigh. "I just wish you were better so we could be together. But I get it." She closed her eyes and shook her head.

"It doesn't work like that. I know I support your use of magic, and I did for a long time, but that was just because…I was using it to ignore my own problems. Relationships take a lot of work, Timmy, and you can't just wave a wand and have everything work out."

"I _know_, Wanda already told me." After a few seconds of silence, Trina looked to the cashier and drew in a sharp breath.

"I have to pay for this and get moving. I'm guessing Wanda's rounded up some money?"

"Yeah…"

"All right. Well…it was good talking to you, Timmy."

"You too. I'll see you around."

"Yeah."

Upon arriving home, her eyes were misty and her movements sluggish. Vicky met her outside and grabbed the bags as she left the car. "What took you so long?"

"Talking to Timmy." Vicky's expression fell and her lips thinned. "I'm okay, it's just…it's hard. I realize there are certain reasons we can't be together, and you were right also…about what you said at that department store."

"I'm sorry Trina. Yeah, you do need to focus on yourself. You'll find a guy one day, or who knows, maybe he'll find you. That guy's going to understand you, be with you, and well, he's going to do things the best he can. Just as I'm sure Timmy's done."

"I know. If it weren't for the lack of education and the fact that he…well the one other thing I won't really say…he might be the perfect guy." Vicky walked inside with her, chuckling as she helped to put away the groceries.

"Sometimes you can't settle for perfect, especially if you've got traumas like you have. You need a guy that can be able to fix those traumas by being there for you. Don't think too hard about it, men come and go you know, the right guy will come along." Vicky lifted up the chocolate milk and flashed a grin at Trina, who gave her a knowing smile in response. The woman put the milk into the fridge, sighing. "Who knows, maybe your perfect guy is an oddball bug collector that spent months trying to find you."

Trina lifted her head, not sure she heard correctly. "What?" Vicky turned to her and raised her eyebrows.

"I didn't say anything." Did she really not say anything? Did she mishear her? Either way, she was _not_ getting into a relationship before she worked on her own problems. "By the way, while you were at the store, I went downtown. There's some guy there selling coffee and hot chocolate at a stand. He apparently got permission from the mayor."

"Huh?"

"A guy…is selling…hot chocolate and coffee." Her heart screeched to a halt and she slowly looked to the door. Could it be? No, it couldn't be. She wanted to find out, though. She had to know. "No one knows what he's doing in the town, just that he's there…apparently waiting on someone."

"You don't say…" Her heart began pounding and her body started to heat up. Her eyes drifted towards her jacket on the couch. What would _he _be doing _here_ in Dimmsdale? There was no way, no way in hell Sinjin would be here! Not even her father thought to come all this way. "Maybe I will go check it out…"

"You should, the coffee is out of this world."

"How's the hot chocolate?"

"Perfect blend of cinnamon and a little chestnut flavor to it." Her eyes widened. Sinjin's trademark flavor?

Now she had to know. She needed confirmation.

* * *

Well what do you think of the chapter? Any thoughts on the talk with Timmy, the advice Vicky gave, and doesn't it seem like she knows very well who is selling coffee downtown? XD


	11. Sinjin's Arrival

The Runaway

Disclaimer: Don't own Victorious, or FOP

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 11 (Sinjin's Arrival)

Trina made her way downtown, in pursuit of this mystery man Vicky was talking about. The closer she got, the more anxious she became. He was supposedly at some booth or stand on the street, selling coffee and hot chocolate. It was frigid outside, so she had the jacket wrapped tightly around her body. If it _was_ Sinjin, what would he say? Hell, what would he think about her still having his once favorite jacket? She was a bit bashful in that respect, considering she'd never sent it back to him, but she'd been afraid of being traced at the time.

A blast of cold air struck her and sent a shiver down her spine, "Go figure, he thinks of the perfect time to sell hot chocolate and coffee." She wasn't sure what the temperature was, but if she had to guess, she'd say below forty. Who _wouldn't_ by hot chocolate and coffee in the freezing cold weather like this? Sinjin always was smart at manipulating things to work in his favor. Perhaps that was why he was always the tech guy for the sound and video equipment at Hollywood Arts.

When she arrived, she saw people lining up at an empty booth. It had a sign that was informing them he had to run to the motel and grab some more supplies. She groaned and rolled her eyes, pushing her hands into her pockets. "Just my luck, he's not even _here_. I don't want to sit in this cold waiting on a guy I don't even know for sure is Sinjin." Patience, never a virtue in the past, and _still_ not a virtue. Then, what if it _was_ Sinjin? What would she say? How would she react? She was nervous as hell. She missed him to death, so the possibility of him being here was making her heart beat like crazy. She whined and looked off to her right. "I'll come back later. He's probably brewing his stuff at the motel. What motel would he be at, I wonder?"

She rose to her toes and looked over the crowd, humming as she eyed the surrounding buildings. There was one motel farther in the distance, one close by, and a third that was off to the east. She contemplated the possibility off checking each one out on the off chance she could catch him. She wasn't _desperate_, though. Her eyes gazed longingly at the booth for several seconds before she sighed in defeat and began walking off, cutting through a short alley to get back to Vicky's house.

"Timing sucks sometimes. It's freezing and damn…"

"So you're cold." She stopped moving and slowly looked over her shoulder. Chester was leaning against the wall, a small sandwich in his hand. He was wearing his typical cop uniform. "Even with that jacket." She spun around, immediately her body was going on the defensive.

"You know I don't trust you worth a damn, right?"

"Why? I'm the town cop." He pushed off the wall with his foot and pushed his hands into his pocket. "Anyway, I heard through the grapevine that you're not seeing Timmy anymore." She took a slight step back and tucked her lip under her teeth, narrowing her eyes and breathing out a warning growl. Where had he heard that? Trixie? She wouldn't put it past her. "Timmy's hot girlfriend, single."

"Yeah. You know how many other girls there are in this town, Chester? Preferably ones that _don't_ know martial arts or have an older sister who can easily kick someone's ass." He rolled his eyes and lifted his hands up, taking another step forward.

"I just wanted to talk, ask what happened. No big deal." She took a step backwards, glancing off to the side. Perhaps she shouldn't have taken the shortcut. Now, the question remained, where was AJ? Chester wagged his finger in the air, chuckling slightly. "You know what? I remember now. Several months ago some guy kept calling my office about you. I didn't piece that together, I forgot all about those calls. It was some other cop. I don't even remember the info."

Who the hell was calling? Another cop? Her dad, maybe? If he didn't remember the info, then it would do her no good. "Oh?" Her hands tensed and her heel struck a stone step. She winced slightly and looked back, sidestepping to the right. "Why am I not surprised? You're a worthless cop anyway, can't get anything done. All you do is sleep on the job and eat your little peanut butter sandwiches."

"Excuse me? Have more respect for an officer of the law!"

"That's kind of hard to do…" She smirked as Chester narrowed his eyes. "Sorry, my sister's kind of rubbing off on me."

"You little…you think you're so high and mighty because you dated Turner-"

"Actually no, I don't."

"Well I'm an officer of the law, a working man."

"Your point? Because if you're thinking of asking me out now that I'm single, don't. Save your breath, I'm done with relationships. At least for a while. I need to work on my own personal stuff."

"Oh? Maybe I can help?" He grabbed her arm, his eyes going wild. She looked down at his hand, her body tensing fast.

"Don't _touch_ me." She pulled back and quickly slammed a closed fist into him. He screamed out and she turned around, tripping over another stone step. Suddenly Chester's arms grabbed around her waist, stopping her from falling. She screamed out and froze at the smell of alcohol. "Oh god, you've been drinking…"

"I may be a little drunk."

"Oh god…" She screamed out, flashing back to Seth and his friends. Her legs flailed as Chester pulled her back, grunting and ordering her to shut up. "Let me go." He swung her with force and she flew onto the ground, grunting as her arm hit the pavement. She pushed herself up on her elbows, her hair was falling in front of her face and her body was shaking.

"Excuse me," Someone's voice echoed in her ears, causing her to take pause and to hold her breath. Silence filled the air, broken seconds later by the sound of a fist crashing into flesh. Chester screamed out about his jaw, cursing the person who'd just punched him. It sounded like Sinjin. Was it him? It sounded just like him, only a tad deeper.

"Asshole! That's assaulting a police officer!"

"Oh? Well let's see, I know this girl's father and he's a cop, so I know my way around the law. If you want to arrest me for assault, my friend and I will be more than willing to give our testimony, I'm sure."

"Who would they believe?"

"Good question. Whose word would they take? The lazy town cop with alcohol in his system, claiming assault? Or the guy who punched him? Well let's look at it this way. This is my friend, she's been missing for ten months now and _presumed dead_." Trina's eyes widened and she slowly looked up, gasping softly as she saw him. _Sinjin_. He had his arms crossed and his eyes were shielded by his dark shades. "The man that just 'assaulted' you is a good friend of the girl whom you just attempted to assault. So one, I was defending her. Two…" He took a deep breath and lifted a hand, pointing two fingers out and smirking subtly at the nervous officer. "You just attempted to assault a girl that you just admitted knowing her as having been missing and you never reported it. People have been searching for her, calling your office. So perhaps you want to make a case out of this, I suppose adding to the fact that you just savagely attacked a woman who has been presumed dead for ten months, you can also add being investigated for possible _kidnapping_ in the process."

"Kidnapping?"

"Why yes. I told you, she disappeared. I found her after all these months being attacked by you. So, exactly who are they going to believe again?" Chester began to stutter. Trina slowly smiled at Sinjin, mentally thanking him for his clever brilliance. "The cop that assaulted the missing, possibly kidnapped woman, or the known friend who punched you in the jaw and got the better of you?"

"Son of a…"

Light reflected in Sinjin's shades as his smug smirk increased, "Walk away now. I forget all of this." Chester did not hesitate to take Sinjin up on that, shouting as he ran off, stumbling over something on the ground just before turning the corner. Trina watched Sinjin turn around and pick something up off the ground, then he extended a hand to her. She slowly put her hand into his, letting him help her to her feet. She took a closer look at the item in his hand, and of course, it was a thermos. "Coffee? I made it myself, my special brew."

"T-Thanks…" After taking a moment to sip the drink and finally collect herself to properly react to his presence, she set the cup down on the top of a closed dumpster. The coffee was _marvelous_, but she expected no less. Ecstatic to see him again after all these months, she threw her arms around his neck, squealing in delight. "Sinji!" She took a quick step back and grabbed her coffee cup. "I don't have to pay for this do I?"

"Nah, it's on the house." She turned her gaze to a large carrying case on the ground beside him, there were many thermos containers inside, some silver and some red. He followed her gaze and cleared his throat. "The silver metal is the coffee, the red is the hot chocolate. I've been making my own cocoa powder as I always do, and I discovered these amazing coffee beans in Arizona. I roast them very slowly and make sure to get the coffee just right. They say I do a better job with the coffee than Keurig, so you wouldn't believe how many times I'm told I should open a business. My heart's still just in being a teacher one day."

This was great to hear, but the question that was now on her mind as she sipped some more of the sweet and flavorful coffee was how in the world Sinjin was here. "Sinjin. How did you find me? Why are you here? Also…you look different than I remember."

"Well I've been doing a lot of traveling. Trying to find _you_." He'd been looking for her for all this time? It was amazing to hear, and they had a lot to catch up on.

"Well, you found me…"

"I wasn't giving up on you." He picked up the pack and began walking, Trina followed quickly after. Was he mad at her? He didn't sound angry. She sipped the coffee and smiled as it began to warm her body and soul. He was always amazing at making comfort drinks and comfort food, but he had to be, his little sister was often sick growing up. "I can't believe you've been here all this time. Mr. Vega called here for two months after you left, and that prick right there, told him you weren't here!" She winced and closed her eyes, not one to go to Chester's defense.

"In his defense…I _wasn't_ here for about three months. I didn't get enough courage to come until the whole Magnate oil incident…which almost got me killed in the first place…" She muttered the last part under her breath. Sinjin stopped and glanced over his shoulder, raising an eyebrow at her.

"What was that last bit?" She cleared her throat and chuckled nervously.

"Oh we have a lot to catch up on. Did I mention I missed you?"

"Yeah…I notice you still have my favorite jacket."

"It's kept me very warm."

"Good, I'm glad. I'm guessing it doesn't matter if I say it now, but you can keep the jacket if you like." Trina hugged the coat and laughed as the cold wind blew through her hair. The coffee was already warming her, forming almost a heated shield against the cold. "After I sell my last batch of these, would you mind sitting down with me and talking with me? I do have a few questions, obviously…"

"I know…" She bowed her head and sighed, "And yeah. I'll do that. I'm sorry, Sinjin."

"I don't need apologies, Trina. I understand why you left, I just don't understand why you couldn't talk to _me_. I spent all these months trying to find you."

"Yeah, funny thing, I still have your phone number…" She ran her hand through her hair, glancing away nervously as a dull sensation shook inside her chest. Sinjin looked over at her, his lips tightening against each other and his shoulders dropping slightly. "Um, maybe you'd like to see my sister? Vicky?"

"That woman scares me."

"I'm guessing she had something to do with you finding me…"

"Something like that, yes. I have no problems meeting her, but I still really want some answers from you."

"And I'll answer anything you want. We have a lot to talk about, I know." This wasn't going to be easy. She missed having him as her go-to guy, and now she was about to spill all of the last ten months onto him. She had to be honest with him, he was a good friend and she felt like she betrayed him by leaving him behind. So this was the least she could do.

* * *

Go Sinji, go sinji, go sinji. Well, it was an intense chapter, and we learn how inept the police force in Dimmsdale is. Though, with all the tragedies Dimmsdale has been through throughout all the years, their police force likely wouldn't be that great. Well what are your thoughts on the reunion and all?


	12. Preparing for the Visitor

The Runaway

Disclaimer: Don't own Victorious, or FOP

A/N:

Chapter 12 (Preparing for the Visitor)

"Vicky! He's coming over!" Trina rushed into the house to find Vicky sitting on the couch eating a bowl of cereal. Vicky coughed and put her hand to her chest, hacking on whatever was in her mouth at the time. "Sinjin! He's coming over!" She hadn't realized that she didn't fully explain _who_ Sinjin was to her. She closed the door behind her and pressed her back up against it, watching as Vicky moved her bowl onto the coffee table.

"Okay, first off...You could have told me you were inviting someone over first." Vicky crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "Secondly, explain to me who Sinjin is. As far as I know he's this friend of yours from back home." Trina nodded and moved with Vicky into the kitchen, grabbing the bowl off the coffee table first. The woman moved to the sink and started filling it up for the dishes. "Typically I wait until after supper to do the dishes of the day, but you've forced my hand, Trina."

"Sorry." Trina leaned against the L shaped marble countertop and looked up to the ceiling. The sink was on the wall end of the countertop and a window was directly in front of it. There were cabinets on both sides of the sink and above the peninsula section. There was a coffee maker in the corner and a microwave directly beside it. The stove was a surface electric stove and it was placed on a separate counter directly across from the peninsula section. Beside the stove was a black two door refrigerator with an ice dispenser in the left side door. "So Sinjin…what can I say about him? Well you're right, he is the guy that I always went to. He's been a close friend and confidante for so long, even Trina and her friends don't realize it."

"You don't say." Vicky opened the dishwasher beneath the counter to her left and stared at the clean dishes from the day prior. "Would you help me out by putting those away? Plates and bowls in the cabinet above the coffee maker, glasses in the one above the toaster." The toaster was on the opposite side of the sink, which was where the counter met the wall. Trina nodded and immediately began working with the plates while Vicky laid out a dish cloth on the counter beside the sink. "So, what is he like? What's he doing here in Dimmsdale, looking for you?" Vicky glanced back at her with a subtle, almost knowing smirk.

"Yeah, it's strange, he's been looking for me for all this time…"

"Sounds like a great friend who cares a _lot_ about you."

"I guess. I don't really know how to respond to it. I mean, I never thought anyone would go out of their way to try and find me, but I guess I shouldn't be surprised that he would." She opened the pantry door and examined the inside. Bigger plates were on the bottom shelf, right side, and smaller plates were on the left. The upper shelf held the bowls, with the larger bowls on the right and the smaller ones on the left. "You're very organized."

"Yeah, I have to be. I'm OCD like that, everything has to be placed in the proper place and in the proper order."

"I see." She worked fast to begin moving plates to their proper place while Vicky scrubbed the plates in the sink and set them neatly on the towel. "He's always making the best hot chocolate ever, making his own cocoa powder. Whenever I'm down, he always has a cup ready for me. I guess I really didn't think about him when I left, I was too busy thinking about what I was going through…He tried to stop me, he wanted me to stay." Vicky looked over at her, frowning as she rinsed out a bowl beneath the faucet.

"I mean you couldn't really help it after what happened. I'm sure he understands."

"He said he does, but he still wants to talk. We have a lot of things to talk about. Apparently my dad was looking for me, called Dimmsdale for the first two months I ran off. Of course, he reached Chester's office…" She saw Vicky flinch and looked up sadly at her sister. "I honestly think Crocker's less crazy than he is, Vicky. You know something…Sinjin punched him in the face today, Chester." Her sister laughed at the comment and glanced back over her shoulder.

"Nice. What did he do?"

"Well uh…Chester was drunk." She didn't want to tell Vicky what happened earlier, she simply didn't want her sister getting in trouble by going after the officer. Of course, everyone seemed to be afraid of her, minus Trixie that is. "He attacked me, Sinjin showed up and attacked him." Vicky narrowed her eyes, then returned to the dishes. Trina finished unloading the plates and moved to the glasses and cups. In the pantry where they belonged, the glasses were on the top all with the lip down. The plastic and regular cups were on the bottom shelf. "I'm okay though, I don't think Chester will do anything more."

"Good. You know I had a talk with Crocker after what happened with Magnate?" She did not know that, and she wasn't sure whether to be impressed or concerned. It did explain why Crocker was always so scared of Vicky. "Remind me also, I need to find Trixie…"

"Don't. Besides, she's Jade's older sister, and amazingly…she out-bitches Jade in every way. I guess I understand why Jade is the way she is, but, it still hurts. I mean just because your sister's a bitch doesn't mean you have to take it out on everyone else." Vicky raised an eyebrow and glanced back, chuckling under her breath.

"Oh Trina, I think you know all too well how a bitchy older sister makes you feel and react towards others." She laughed in response, unable to deny Vicky's comment. There was quite a bit of truth to it, but at least, she didn't think it made _her_ a bitch to anyone. She tried not to be, at least. "But I am sorry. What are you going to say to Sinjin? When he gets here, he'll probably ask you to go back to LA. Not only that, are you going to tell him about Timmy?"

"I have to. I'm going to be _completely_ honest with him. I told him everything before…It's just going to be hard." Once she finished putting away the glasses, she began transporting the already rinsed dishes into the dishwasher. Her heart and mind were still a jumble. "I'm not going to start any sort of relationship, and I don't think he even expects that. I just think it's great he's here, but, I am a bit scared. I'm going to tell him I have no intention of returning to LA. At least not for a long time."

"You know, he's not going to be like me, he's going to want to tell the others you're here. You're safe." She couldn't have that, she didn't want to risk them coming after her. Not that she thought they would or anything, surely they wouldn't. "You should probably consider that, how long do you think Mom, Dad, and Tori are going to wait?"

She was shocked to hear Sinjin tell Chester earlier that she was presumed dead. It was earth shattering news for her, but she understood why people would think that, she did essentially drop off the face of the earth. "I don't know…I guess I have a lot of pride. I'm not ready to go back there, where I'm unaccepted. No one wants me there, Vicky. No one needs me, no one cares."

"What's making you feel this way?"

"Oh let's see, the fact that Tori never _once_ stands up for me when her friends badmouth me." She flipped her hair back over her shoulder and closed her eyes, groaning loudly as she gripped the edge of the countertop. "Then there's the issue _of_ her friends constantly telling me I'm worthless and not worth anyone's time, that I have no talents whatsoever. Then there's the matter of every boy I ever date, and this is the big one, every boy I date thinks I'm a fucking disgrace. No boy out there thinks I'm worth their time."

"I would like to beg to differ on this one, Trina." Vicky set the last of the dishes into the dishwasher, then opened the doors beneath the sink to grab the dishwasher fluid. Cascade. She raised an eyebrow at her sister, trying to figure out what there was to disagree on. Vicky poured the cascade into its proper compartment, closed the lid over, then shut the dishwasher. She let out a sigh and wiped her brow with her arm. "One, you have Timmy acting like a lovesick puppy even _still_ after you broke up with him."

"Yeah…" She didn't see much of a future with him, but she still cared about him. Her heart was more torn than she was willing to admit, and she put herself in this situation.

"Then there's Sinjin, who has apparently been searching for you for the past ten months. What man, in their right mind, would search for a girl that long if he didn't care about her?"

"I don't know. Maybe some people give a damn. Who knows?"

"For that matter, LA is a big town, Trina." Vicky dried her hands off with a rag and started to walk back towards the living room. Trina started the dishwasher, then followed after Vicky. "You're a big girl, you can do whatever you want. You came to Dimmsdale to escape your problems, but your problems are always going to follow you. Case in point, Trixie Tang. Jade's older sister that took on her mother's maiden name apparently. Hiding won't solve your problems, and you should know that."

"I know…but what about you? Why don't _you_ try and reconnect?"

"You know why." It still didn't feel like much of a reason. Vicky could at least talk to her mother, and even David. Trina moved to the couch as Vicky spread her arms out. "I have a life here, Trina. I can't just uproot to LA on a notion that I could ever repair what's been broken. It's been too _long_."

"And it hasn't been too long for me?"

"Really, Trina?" Vicky's lips pulled back and she moved her right hand down to her hip. "You've been gone for ten months, that looks like nothing compared to thirteen years." She had a very good point, something that Trina had yet to acknowledge. At this rate, what did it matter?

"I've given it up, Vicky. I'm not going back. Nothing can convince me, not even Sinjin. There's too much left unsaid, too much left undone, and some wounds just cannot heal over. Case in point…" She hooked her finger into her shirt collar and pulled it down, revealing the hideous sickle shaped scar. Vicky gazed at it with a forlorn expression. "This is what Seth and his friends did to me." Tears welled up in her eyes as her voice began to quiver. "Mocking me because I was desperate enough and foolish enough to think that I could _ever_ have a man. They threw bottles at me, they _destroyed_ me. Look at me now, Vicky. They were _right_, I _am_ worthless and I can't get a man's attention. The best attention I've gotten so far is from a 'boy' who thinks everything has a magical solution to it…"

"Trina…you are not worthless."

"I am. I'm wounded, I'm weak, and nobody gives a damn about me down in LA." The doorbell rang out and Vicky slowly glanced over as Trina's heart skipped a beat. The woman smirked and began moving over towards the door.

"Yeah, right, you can't get a man's attention and nobody in LA cares about you. Okay…I _might_ be able to debunk that." Trina slowly began to stand up, trembling anxiously as Vicky opened the door. Vicky gasped out at Sinjin and smiled, motioning inside her house. "You must be Sinjin! I've heard _so much_ about you! Come inside, come inside." Trina rolled her eyes and put her hands to her hips, groaning out her exhaustion.

"And people say I overact."

* * *

Tell me your thoughts on the conversation. Thoughts, opinion, etc, I always appreciate them


	13. Bittersweet Reunion

The Runaway

Disclaimer: Don't own Victorious, or FOP

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 13 (Bittersweet Reunion)

Trina and Sinjin sat on the couch as Vicky started moving around her house, making sure everything was clean. From this, Trina understood she needed to give her sister a little more heads up if someone was coming over.

She studied Sinjin closely, admiring how he'd changed in the last few months. She thought he looked fine before, but now he was a lot more handsome and _attractive_, but what was she saying? She couldn't be thinking like that, it wasn't right. Sinjin was sitting straight, with his right elbow resting on the top of the couch and his shades finally off his eyes and in his shirt pocket. His left ankle was resting on his knee and his chest was moving very slowly with his breaths. She had to know what he was thinking, but was a little afraid to bring anything up. He looked so intense in his thought and posture, though, like he was just pondering what to say to her.

"I'm happy that I've found you at least," he began. He spoke very slowly, as though choosing his words carefully. Her heart ached and her fingers slowly tangled around her knees as she leaned forward slightly. "Things have changed around considerably since you've been gone. Nothing is the same." That didn't tell her much about the state of things in LA. Since she's been gone, have things become better? Have they become worse? He looked over to her, his chest moved outward as he breathed in. "I guess we'll get to that. What have you been up to all this time?"

"A lot, I guess." She leaned back and gazed the blank television screen in front of her. This talk was harder than she thought it would be. "I actually didn't even start talking to Vicky until recently. I uh, I started dating this one guy." He raised an eyebrow and tilted his lips up in a slight curve. Trina clasped her hands together and bowed her head. "I uh, I broke up recently. He's a great guy and all, but he had a few things that I don't think I can see long term. I've decided to start working on myself now, to work on the issues I have before I really get into any sort of relationship."

"That's good. You should work on yourself first. Besides, if you don't, how can you work on a relationship with someone if you can't work on yourself?"

"I guess…" It was funny he was saying that, as Vicky and everyone else had said the same thing. "Other than that, things are…interesting." She tucked her hair behind her ear and closed her eyes. She could really go for another one of his amazing hot chocolate drinks right now, but didn't want to impose as he probably didn't have anything to work with, and Vicky likely didn't want someone else cooking in her kitchen. He did have the pack from earlier beside the couch, but she wasn't sure if it was empty.

He caught her eyeing the pack and reached down, grabbing a red thermos and pulling it from the pack. Her heart jumped up as he handed it over to her, smiling slightly as he did so. "You didn't think I'd forget about your hot chocolate, did you?" She grabbed the thermos, thanking him, then held it up to her lips to catch the aroma. She breathed in the warm steam and tilted the cup into her lips, delighting in the familiar old flavor.

"God, I've always wanted to know what you put in this besides cinnamon." His eyebrows lifted up as she set the thermos down between her legs, grasping tightly with her fingers. The hot chocolate always had a little kick to it, just a tiny bit of extra spice that wowed her every time she drank it. "Like, there's always this distinct flavor to it that I can't describe."

"Same cocoa powder I've been making for years, I'll tell you my secret." She glanced down at the cup once more, slowly licking her lips. In the corner of her eyes, she saw Vicky gazing at the cup with eagerness. "First off you need to know how to make your own cocoa powder, and to make it taste good. Swiss Mix is always nice, but expensive at the stores, and some of the ones out there just taste like water. Some powdered chocolate or cocoa is essential, sugar, a little salt. Anyway, I add a pinch of cayenne to give it a little extra heat. Comes out great because the cayenne compliments the chocolate."

"Cayenne?" No wonder she always tasted an extra kick to it! Her lips turned up into a grin as she brought the cup back to her lips. The drink smoothed over her tongue and warmed her throat. "Always delicious, Sinji." _Sinji_ was what she called him from time to time in the past, it was a shorting of his name clearly, and one that rolled off her tongue a little better than Sinjin. "Maybe you could make some for Vicky?"

"I actually have a couple more still in the pack. I made a couple just before I came over, I wanted to make sure they were still plenty hot in case anyone wanted some." Overjoyed, she turned to Vicky, who was busy dusting off her fireplace now.

"Vicky, he's got another thermos in here if you want it!"

"I heard," she replied while still focusing on the cleaning portion of her job. It was rather startling to see her in this mix of constant cleaning. Vicky set down her dust rag and looked over just as Sinjin pulled out another thermos. "If it's as good as you say it is…" Trina watched as she took the thermos, she was hopeful that Vicky would enjoy the drink. Once Vicky sipped the drink, a pleasant glow came to her cheeks. Her eyes shot open and her lips turned up. "Wow, that is amazing! You make your own recipe, Sinjin?"

Sinjin rubbed the back of his head, chuckling lightly. "Yeah, I've always made the recipe for my little sister. Courtney was always sick growing up, so I'm pretty good at making comfort drinks, as I call them. They're great for year-round." Trina heard a familiar poof noise and looked over her shoulder. Within a few seconds, the doorbell rang. Vicky didn't tense, but rather, drank more of the hot chocolate. It was actually keeping her _calm!_

"It does have a calming effect," Trina delighted. She got up and moved over to the door as Vicky joked that it was her turn to answer. When she opened it, she was stunned to see Wanda in human form. Wanda looked elated. Sinjin glanced over with arched eyebrows and Vicky slowly returned to her cleaning. "Wanda, come on in! What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to visit my friend." Wanda shut the door behind her and flashed a happy grin at Sinjin. "Is this him? The guy you're always telling me about?" Sinjin looked away to the television and Trina slowly nodded her head. How long had Trina been in the room? Then again, she was noticing a pink vase on one of the small end tables against the wall behind her. The vase had previously been white with a long flower on the side of it. "He's a lot different than I pictured."

"Apparently, he did a lot of work outside. He discovered his own coffee beans in Arizona, he says." Sinjin smiled and extended a hand, shaking Wanda's hand.

"Good to meet you," he stated. Trina was a tad put off with Wanda's sudden appearance, but she understood the woman wanted to meet Sinjin. He was a likeable guy, after all, assuming you get to know him. She took a seat beside him and Wanda sat on the other side of her. "So Trina, I have to ask…have you settled down on a life here? Would you ever consider even visiting LA." Her heart clenched at the question she feared would come. She bit her lip and looked over to Vicky. She stood less of a chance of going back to LA than Vicky even would. "I'm not asking you to go back if you don't want to, but at the very least, I think you should."

"We've all been telling her that," Wanda threw her hands into the air. Trina's head fell back and she groaned loudly before glaring at her. Wanda reached over and pointed at Sinjin, clearing her throat. "You know that Jade girl's sister lives up here? Trixie. She's even more of a witch than Jade apparently is." Sinjin leaned back and mouthed his shock. Trina rolled her eyes and looked to him, she felt a need to explain the situation to him.

"You remember when Tori decided to kiss Beck when she first got to Hollywood Arts? I swung by after having that stern talk with her about it." Sinjin put his elbow back on the top of the sofa and nodded his head.

"I remember she did it to spite Jade."

"Yeah, well apparently Trixie didn't forget. She hates me, probably has since we were kids, but she used that as a reason to kiss my last boyfriend here." He frowned and shook his head. "At least she made me think about some things, but…I don't know, she's just crazy." She folded her arms and closed her eyes, ignoring the heaviness in her chest. "But yes, I came to Dimmsdale to get away from my problems back home. I don't intend to go back, Sinjin. I'm sorry…"

"Okay." His eyes closed and his voice remained as calm and stoic as his appearance seemed to be. She raised an eyebrow as he sipped his own cup. He was drinking coffee, it seemed. "Then let me tell you how things are back home. Tori won't talk to anyone, she's basically all cried out, and will not let go of that old stuffed dog of yours that you left behind."

"Snowflake…" Her heart sank as she imagined Tori curled up with Snowflake, weeping over her lost sister. It was almost hard to believe, but she couldn't simply deny Sinjin's words, because he wouldn't lie to her.

"Her friendship with Jade was pretty tarnished. They're working on their friendship, but things are definitely not the same between them. Beck and Jade have been fighting a lot since you left. Mr. Vega's surrounded himself in work trying to find you, he _still_ hasn't given up looking for you. Just like I hadn't. Mrs. Vega's extremely depressed. She and your dad have a rocky relationship right now, last I checked, Holly was contemplating moving out."

She gasped softly and Vicky turned her head over her shoulder. Things really took a turn for the worse? She still wasn't sure, her heart had been broken far too many times. "Sinjin, I've given them, all of them…chance after chance…"

"I know you did."

"I've been too broken by the whole lot of them. I can't trust them, I won't go back to LA just because you tell me how bad things became over there. Maybe things got bad, but who is to say things would ever get better if I went back down there? Who's to say they _really_ want me there. I can understand maybe Tori, but that's just it. It's her friends I want no part of. They're the ones that hurt me. It's the men down there."

"Well, I've never hurt you, I don't think. At least, I wouldn't do anything to hurt you. So there is that. My sister's always liked you, there is that. I remember you got along well with my neighbors…so I'm sure there are people down in LA that like you. You just have to open yourself up to it and look around."

"I know…maybe if I were still there…" She set her thermos on the coffee table and took a deep breath as her heart quivered. An extreme sorrow was settling in on her, but even still, she didn't want to go back. Her eyes clenched shut and her teeth grit. She felt Wanda patting her back, attempting to comfort her. "I was _so angry_ when I left, Sinjin. Do you know how much I _wanted_ them to suffer?" Now that all these bad things had happened, she did feel guilty, as if she 'wished' for it and it came to pass. "I hated them. I hated all of them. I can't go back into the warzone."

"I understand…" Sinjin pat his knees and slowly rose to his feet, sighing heavily. She looked up at him, her heart breaking once again as he picked up his pack. "I'll be staying in the Dimmsdale motel, suite 7, if you need me for anything. Apparently you still have my cell, as you said, so you know where to reach me. I'll be in town a little while. I guess you don't want me to tell them you're okay?"

"I don't know, Sinjin…I just want to forget about them…"

"I'm not sure how you intend to go about doing that, but I won't keep your safety from them forever."

"I know you won't, and I appreciate that. I'm sorry, Sinjin…"

"Don't. I can understand just fine." She moaned and reached up with her hand as he began moving towards the door. "I need to get back to the motel. I have to feed Ginger, my dog." She lifted her eyebrows and opened her mouth, startled that he actually had a dog. Not to mention having one, but he brought it with him?

"When did you get a dog?"

"Few months ago, she's been a great travel companion."

"Think I…could come over sometime and see the puppy?"

"That's why I told you where I was." He smirked subtly and she smiled back at him. "We'll talk later, Trina…It was great seeing you again, it really was."

"You too." She watched mournfully as he left the house. Her voice cracked and tears started to well up in her eyes. Vicky and Wanda both glanced at her, each with sad expressions. She knew Sinjin was hurting over the fact that she wouldn't pay her family a visit. In truth, she was _scared_ to do so. She was scared of putting herself in a situation where she could be opening herself to being hurt again. "What?" She looked to the girls, moving her hand over her pounding heart. "What if I go back and everything goes to the way it was before I left? I…I can't have that…I don't think I could take it."

Vicky shook her head and moved into the kitchen, and Wanda simply hugged her. "I know you're confused, your heart's a mess, your mind's a mess, but let it heal Trina. It'll get better. Give it time…"

"I want to be alone right now…" She wiped her eyes and moved towards her bedroom. She threw herself onto her bed and gazed up at the white ceiling fan. Her body was on fire, her chest ached, and her muscles tensed. She counted the dots on the ceiling, letting them distract her from the painful thoughts of LA.

Why? Why was this so difficult for her? She couldn't even scream, as much as she wanted to. Give it time, they say, but no amount of time in the world seemed to take this pain from her. She closed her eyes, and with that, let a tear drop onto the comforter.

* * *

Your thoughts?


	14. Long Awaited Talk

The Runaway

Disclaimer: Don't own Victorious, or FOP

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 14 (Long Awaited Talk)

A couple hours passed before Trina decided to go to Sinjin's hotel room, she felt she needed to apologize for before. She knew she came off too strong, and it was more of a matter of whether or not she could swallow her pride. Never before had she thought running away from her problems was best, but at the time, she thought it was best. Now, it wasn't a matter of thinking running away was the best option, it was a matter of _fear_. Fear of the unknown, uncertainty, not knowing how well received she'd be whenever she got to LA. Just like Vicky wouldn't want to go there after thirteen years of being away. Too much time had gone by, too many things had changed. Granted, ten months wasn't a lot of time compared to ten years or so, but it didn't make a difference in her heart. It may as well be a thousand years!

Upon opening the door Sinjin was bent over, holding his hand in front of a small Yellow Labrador puppy. Trina was in awe of the dog, she knelt down and instantly began receiving licks from the young animal. "This is Ginger? She's so adorable!" Sinjin smiled briskly and motioned for her to enter at her whim.

"I don't want her running off. She knows to stay close, but as always, we _are_ in a new place." How often did he travel? She had to know. She entered the room and smiled at the full sized bed in the corner. Ginger ran up to the bed and hopped on top, panting happily. "This seems to be the only hotel in this town that allows pets. I always have to make sure that I can work the details out wherever I'm at."

"That makes sense, you can't just leave the puppy unattended." Trina sat down and put her arm around the dog's neck. The bed was beside the wall that was between the main area and the bathroom. In front of the bed was a small television, it was turned onto the local news. There wasn't anything interesting happening in the town, so they weren't reporting anything of urgent matters.

On the wall with the door, before the window on the right was a table and a round wicker chair beside it. Sinjin took a seat in the chair and ran his fingers through his wonderfully crafted hair. She was beyond impressed with how it looked now, she always said he looked better with it down than up in the afro. "I got her about six months ago while going through New Mexico."

"You really went everywhere, didn't you?"

"Yep." Looking for her, no doubt. She dipped her eyes downward as a flash of guilt stung her. She hated being the reason for anyone's anxiety, which was probably another reason she didn't want to go back to LA. She didn't want to have to face the music.

"Sinjin, I'm really sorry…" She lifted her gaze back up to him and moved her free hand to her chest. "I wasn't thinking about anyone. I just…I didn't mean to snap at you or anything back there. I know I never called you or anything, and I should have. I…I just-I don't know what I was thinking."

"You've always known you could come to me if you _ever _needed anything. Anything at all, I would try to be there for you." With a deep breath, he lifted his hand up and counted his fingers. "Searching for you, I've been through New Mexico, Arizona, Texas. I've been into Washington, Oregon, Colorado and Idaho. Utah was a little crazy. Let me say also, Nevada is a boring as hell place if you're not 21 yet."

"I'm guessing that means you went through Las Vegas."

"Hell yes, and the panhandle of Oklahoma." He'd been through all these states in just ten months? Then again, it sounded like a few of them were just states he drove through, for instance, Oklahoma. "I'm not upset that you don't want to go back to LA, I _get it_. I understand that. I believe you when you say you're too hurt to do it right now." She felt the dog licking her hand and put on a sad smile, as though it were the only thing she could really muster in the moment. "I'm not hurt that you ran away. I'm not going to tell you running away isn't the answer, I'm going to say it maybe doesn't solve all your problems, but Trina…You know what hurts _me?_" She turned her gaze to his. It was painful to make eye contact with him, to see the pain in his eyes. He still spoke in a calm voice, when he could and _should_ be yelling at her.

"What?" Her voice shook with fear and confusion, she couldn't understand why he wouldn't yell at her. "You're mad at me?"

"No. No I'm not mad at you, Trina. We were friends, I thought we were great friends. I was there for you that night because of that, because of our friendship. I care about you, Trina. So what hurts isn't all that mentioned above, what hurts is that you had the audacity to not come to me! You didn't call me, you didn't respond to me, you changed your phone number so no one _including__me_ could reach you. I had to find out you actually _did_ run away from Tori, who had a note that looked like a suicide note!"

"Ouch…"

"Yeah. I mean if you really wanted to leave, Trina, you didn't have to run away. I might have been able to _help_ you. I would have tried to talk to you, but if you were set on leaving your family, I would have helped without you having to go through all the hell that you went through and without them going through their own hell." Sinjin rubbed his forehead and closed his eyes, breathing out a quiet breath of air. "Honestly Trina, I know what you've been through. I knew these people too, I was ridiculed by the same people over and over."

"You didn't run away, I guess."

"No. You know what? I got through that mess because I knew running away wasn't going to solve anything. I had to put my foot down and not even care what others thing about me. Look at me now. I got better, I dealt with whatever issues I had to deal with. You could have too, Trina. You could have made it."

He pushed himself from the chair and walked over, reaching down to pet his dog's head with gentle and slow strokes. Trina looked up at him, he was like a tower to her now. He gazed into her eyes and knelt down beside her, resting his hand on her shoulder. "I know what those guys did to you was horrible. I know it made everything else just snowball out of control. Those men can't possibly hurt you anymore, Trina."

"You don't know that…" She moved her hand over to her arm where they stuck her with that needle. The pain of the needle prick may have long healed, but the emotional pain of that drug remained. Sinjin looked to where her finger was rubbing and raised his eyebrows. "I think I told you they drugged me…they put a syringe in my arm and put whatever drug that was in me into me…Then they threw bottles at me, leaving me physically scarred. Sinjin, they're still in LA…"

"LA is a pretty big town, Trina." He moved his hand to her arm, curling his fingers around it and rubbing the pricked site with the tip of his thumb. She closed her eyes and drew in a shaky breath. "There's nothing here. Any physical scars are meaningless. What matters is who you are inside. You don't need to build walls, you don't need to hide yourself, or slip back into the past in order to prevent dealing with your issues…you're headstrong Trina, you always _have_ been. You can face anything and do anything you want."

"And that's what I did…I left LA."

"But for all the _wrong_ reasons, Trina. Don't you see?" He moved his hand away and sat down beside her. His words crashed into her like a hurricane, forcing her to question what she so previously believed of her situation. "There's a difference, Trina, between running away and choosing to face your problems while also moving into a healthier lifestyle. Can you tell me if this has been a healthier lifestyle for you?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"I do not know."

No matter how hard she thought about it, no matter what anyone said, she just couldn't figure anything out. Her demons still haunted her, she still had nightmares, and for the most part, she was still anxious. "What is there to not know, Trina? Tell me."

"Everything!" She rose quickly, spreading her hands out and groaning lightly as she spun around and put her hands to her hips. "I don't know what anyone's going to say, I don't know how I'm going to feel. I still suffer from nightmares on occasion, and last night was the one time I _didn't_ wake up in a cold sweat."

"Why? What changed? What was different? In fact…" He smirked with confidence and stood up, holding his hands together behind his back. She could feel his eyes searching her, his breath sent shivers down her spine. She wished for his confidence, that she wouldn't have to be so afraid. "I remember you telling me about Vicky, and it sounded like she would probably not want anything to do with you. What happened?"

"Well I…uh…" She bowed her head for a split second and shifted her gaze off to the right. She changed something, that's what happened. "I talked to her. We're working through our differences and we've reached an understanding."

"Exactly. That is my point right there." Her heart skipped a beat and she quickly looked up at him. He seemed so sure of himself, so knowledgeable too. "You stood up and you decided not to let problems get in the way. You talked to your sister. The Trina Vega I used to know would have done that exact thing, not the Trina who _gave up_."

"I didn't give up."

"You didn't face your problems, Trina. You ran from them. Another thing. A question, if you will." He walked around her, but she kept her gaze on him without moving her body. "You were dating someone, you said. You broke up with him? Why?"

"Because I had to do some thinking. I still don't know what I want in life…"

"All right, so you handled that situation." He turned back around and gazed into her eyes. "So you can be strong, you can be confident, and you can make your own decisions. Every time Tori's friends got the better of you in the _past_, do you know what you would do?"

"What…"

"You'd come over, you'd have your little cry, then you'd _move on_. You let it roll off your shoulders. Maybe it still hurt, but you weren't going to let the sting last." Yes, this was very true, she would often find something to do to keep herself going. She never liked staying in one painful situation for long. So what changed? What did the damage that put a mental block in the one place she needed longest?

"So…what changed?"

"That's what I had to figure out while looking through half the country for you. What changed is what those _bastards_ did to you." A soft gasp left her lips and her eyelids closed over as Seth's face came to her mind like lightning. She hated him, that man and his friends, she wanted to tear them apart. For the most part, she wanted to know _why_ they did what they did. "They took everything Tori's friends ever said to you and they threw it at you. They tore you apart. Trina…" She whimpered, her body shaking very slightly as Sinjin stepped before her. He put his hand on the side of her right shoulder and she slowly opened her eyes, gazing into his strong, sincere gaze. "They don't deserve to be a part of your life. They hurt you, but the longer you let the memory fester and the longer you simply try to hide without facing what they did to you…the longer you allow them to be a part of you."

"They're _not_. I mean, not that I, you know…I blacked them out of my memory."

"That's not good, because you know what happens to trauma when you just ignore it? Something can happen to trigger the entire event out of the blue years down the line. Handle it. Little by little you need to sort out your emotions."

"I don't think I _can_, Sinjin."

"Yes you can. Look, someone once told me a long time ago, and I think she was quoting a favorite phrase; 'You were given this life because you are strong enough to live it.' Don't think you're weak, Trina. You're not weak in any way. You may be frightened, you may be wounded, but you're still as strong as you've always been. You just have to find it in yourself to stand up against those fears."

"Well…what if I'm incapable?"

"Then give it time. You're not incapable of anything. You're only incapable of what you have predetermined yourself to be incapable of." She raised an eyebrow and folded her arms across her chest. "When you predetermine something, you set a notion of an outcome that can't possibly be predicted yet. You began repairing your relationship with Vicky, that should say something right there. You did so, why?"

"Because I wanted to…"

"Did you think it to be impossible?"

"Not really, I just kind of did it. I mean I was afraid it wouldn't work out, but I went for it."

"And that's the same thing you used to do years ago. I'm not saying take that catalyst event and say it wasn't important. It was, it damaged you severely and hurt you, but what _is_ important is that _you_ know you can rise above it." She opened her mouth, but stopped when Sinjin raised a finger, interrupting her. "'Can't ' is a word implying predetermination and giving up. Trina Vega does _not_ give up. At least not the Vega I know and remember, and that's the point I'm trying to make…Vicky didn't defeat you, this bitch Trixie girl hasn't gotten the best of you, you never let Tori's friends get the better of you until those assholes did what they did…you're strong, Trina. You're strong enough to rise above. What you're doing by running away, by hiding now, you're letting them win. You're letting them get the better of you."

"I know…" She didn't want to talk about this any longer, but she was slowly becoming aware that Sinjin was right. She may need to face her problems rather than run, because running was _exactly_ what she was doing. "Just…let me work through that. I'm scared, Sinjin, I'm afraid of how receptive anyone's going to be towards me. To that respect just, please have patience with me."

"I know, and I will. It's going to take time, but you'll be okay."

"I think…I'm going to need your moral support again."

"Well, I'm happy to give it." He smiled at her and rubbed her shoulder, earning a smile back as she lifted her hand over his. Her hand hovered for a second before she set it down on his. After a few seconds, he pulled his hand away and walked over to a coffee maker on the table. "So Trina, you should tell me about some of the people in this town. I'm sticking around here for a few weeks, so-"

"Would you stay longer?" She said her question without any initial thought, but she wanted to know how long he'd be willing to stay. She needed help through all of this. He turned around to her as she anxiously tapped her fingertips together. "I uh, I mean, I could use someone to fall back on."

"Now Trina." He smirked playfully at her and crossed his arms. "You know I won't have you turning me into a shoulder friend."

"Oh that again? Well fine, I'll just find someone else willing to listen to all my problems."

"And who would be willing to do that?"

"Not many people. I'm not known for _not_ being a drama queen." He laughed heartily and she moved back for the dog. As she sat down, she ran her hand through the puppy's smooth fur, smiling as it reached up to lick her face. The wet tongue tickled her cheek, causing her to laugh out and fall towards the side, where the pup proceeded to attack her with a fury of licks. She let out a shriek between her laughter and ran her hands through the puppy's fur. "Okay, okay, I can't take it!"

Sinjin laughed and grabbed the pot of coffee from the machine. "Trina, I'll stick around as long as you need me to. Like I said before, you know where to find me."

* * *

Your thoughts my friends?


	15. Fire in the Soul

The Runaway

Disclaimer: Don't own Victorious, or FOP

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 15 (Fire in the Soul)

Pondering the words from Sinjin and her sister, Trina wandered the streets of Dimmsdale. Her hands were buried into her jacket's pockets as the cold wind blew her hair over her face. How could she stop running from her past, from her life, and move on with her life? Moreover, how could she possibly work on herself and all this tension bottled up inside of her?

She thought back to her martial arts training, it had been months, but she still knew many things. She wasn't sure this town had a karate studio, she never thought to look. They should have one somewhere in town, if not, then the nearest town. Indeed it was good for martial arts to relieve a _lot_ of stress, so if there was one around, she'd shoot for it. "I was a black belt, but since it has been ten months, I might be a belt lower…" To her right, she saw Mr. Crocker walking down the street and going through a folder of worksheets. She lifted her hand and called out to him. Once he heard her, he stopped and glanced over.

"Oh hello there Tootie." Had she still not told people her real name? Trina jogged up beside him, she was hoping he knew of a studio somewhere. "What do you need?"

"I have to know, where is the nearest tae kwon do studio?" Crocker raised an eyebrow and moved his hand to his chin, humming thoughtfully. "If you don't know, that's fine, I'll find it myself. I just want to know because I used to practice all the time. It's a great stress reliever, but I never really found the time." Her schedule was a bit more open now. Most days she'd been helping Timmy with his homework or flying around in that magic van, granting wishes left and right. "I want to get back in the game, I'm a bit rusty."

"I am not sure, but I think there's one over on Cooper. I drive down that street most days." Crocker looked up and studied the environment. "By any chance is your sister around?" Trina rolled her eyes and shook her head. She couldn't be sure, but now that she was _living_ with Vicky, there shouldn't be any reason for the woman to be spying on her.

"Have you ever considered getting help for your paranoia? Maybe you just need someone to talk about your emotional problems?" He laughed and began walking away. She shrugged and turned away, "Worth a shot." At least he was a bit different when he wasn't going on and on about Fairy Godparents. Maybe he'd finally just accepted there's no changing the fact that Timmy will always have some kind of magical touch. The fact of the matter, Timmy was moving towards the sixth grade, so Crocker only had to deal with him for about four more months.

"Hey! Trina!" To her left, Timmy came running up with Cosmo and Wanda hovering around his shoulders. She smiled at him and turned to face him. "Did you see the guy downtown yesterday selling hot chocolate? Wanda told me that was Sinjin, so did you go see him?" She _did_ tell him about Sinjin, briefly, but it was so long ago that she was surprised he remembered the man.

"Yeah actually I did, we had a good talk about old times and stuff."

"Cool. I went downtown, he does have some amazing drinks. I wish I could come up with something as good tasting as that." She looked to Cosmo and Wanda, pleased that they were aware it wasn't a serious 'wish' as it was just a statement. "But yeah, he's pretty good looking for a guy."

"I guess so, he's changed a lot in the last ten months as far as his appearance goes." Sinjin had become a hunk essentially, and yes he was attractive, but she wasn't interested in a relationship with anybody at all. He understood this, he'd not been making any signs that he wanted to enter into one, he only wanted to be there for her moral support. "Anyway, I'm looking around for a Tae Kwon Do studio, Crocker said there was one on Cooper Street not far from here."

"I think that's right, but I wouldn't know for sure." He looked up at Wanda, asking her if she had any idea. Wanda used her wand to try and locate it via a hologram version of Google maps. Trina raised an eyebrow, slightly perplexed by the use of magic. It was good, but they did have phones to use, possibly.

"Yeah it's just off Cooper," Wanda remarked, "On the edge of the street. It's a nice square building with a sign over the door that says 'Tae Kwon Do'." Wanda met Trina's gaze and tapped her chin as the image went away. "Do you think you'd be able to pay for it? I know it probably takes money."

"I'll figure out money. I just think it'll be good to get back into that training. I used to be a black belt, you know. I want to find out where I stand now, and of course, I need to get back to my training. Defending myself is always important."

"Oh yeah, cause nothing bad here _ever_ happens." He rolled his eyes sarcastically and Trina chuckled. She always wondered what happened to Chester and AJ to make them so ignorant and stupid. "I think I'm going to have to move back in with my parents, I just don't have money. No one wants to hire me in this town, it's like everyone knows that I have to get through the fifth grade. Wanda's not letting me wish I was a college student."

Wanda tapped Timmy on the head with her wand and cleared her throat, "You can't just take the easy route on everything, Timmy. You have to learn to work for things."

"Not really sure how much I like the idea of growing up."

"Well you still have us fairies around," Cosmo chimed, "If that says anything about growing up. We'll always be together, Timmy! Yay!" Trina smiled and shook her head as Timmy laughed with Cosmo. It was true, Timmy had fairies to grant every serious wish. He didn't need anything. "If you need money, just ask for it and we'll give it to you!" Cosmo flicked his wand and a stack of dollar bills appeared in Timmy's hand. Startled, Timmy moved his hand behind his back and sighed. Wanda smacked her forehead. Trina glanced off, mildly disheartened.

"I need to get going, Timmy." She hugged him and pat his back, then started walking off. She pulled back her tears and sighed heavily. She could feel their gazes on her. _"Not like he needs anyone in a relationship. He's happy enough without."_ She wanted someone who _needed_ her in her life, someone who could be made happy by her and would make her happy. As much as she wanted it to be Timmy, she wasn't sure. Then Sinjin had come into her life, the one man she'd been missing greatly. Timmy wanted to get her back, Sinjin just wanted to be there to be of moral support. With that, if she were to look into relationships, she might find herself torn between the two men. Right now, if she had to choose, she wouldn't know who to go with, nor would she want that choice.

Cosmo brought up a good point, though, without even trying to. The fairies would _always _be around. They could make him happy like no woman ever could. With the snap of his fingers he could have just about anything he wanted. Now that she had time away from him to think, she knew that all the magic in the world couldn't make her happy.

Maybe she was being vain, or perhaps she wanted to move on with her life? If she was the most important person in her life, then she needed to focus on making herself happy. That was where this martial arts studio would come into play

Once at the studio, she was overcome with a feeling of nervousness swirling inside of her. The instructor was standing before a class of eleven students, all about her age. The instructor was a tall man with broad shoulders and short, spiky grey hair. His arms were behind his back and his strong gaze fell out to the students as he shouted out the call for each move they performed.

_This_ was where she belonged. Where had this place been for all this time? The instructor paced the front of the room, gazing at his students. "Left block! Front kick! Side kick!" Trina's heart sped up and she yearned to be a part of this group, more than anything she desired them. Fearing standing out like a sore thumb, Trina rushed to the wall beside the door and leaned against it. "Shi eo!" The command meant _at ease_. She watched the students cease their movements and turn towards their instructor, all locking their closed fists at their waist.

"Very good, you are all learning. Practice your forms, you will be tested on what you know. Any of you that wish to rise up in the ranks must perfect your techniques and see me when you feel you are ready. However, when I feel you are ready, I will rank up your belt. Now, break!" The students began moving into groups to spar amongst each other. Trina held her breath as the instructor locked eyes with her and began moving towards her.

He walked with a strong stride, looking far more fearsome and powerful than even that Jorgen fairy. She could feel her heart pounding with each step the man took. When he reached her, he towered over her at least by a full foot. She stood erect and bowed before him. "Hello, I'm Trina Vega…"

"Good to meet you, may I help you in any way?"

"Yes, I'm looking to join. I've taken tae kwon do for most of my life, but it has been a while since I've practiced."

"How long, and what belt mastery level are you?"

"It has been ten months, and I was a black belt."

"All right. Classes are Monday, Wednesday, Friday, you have the option to come in Tuesdays and Thursdays. Martial Arts, as you should know, is not simply about power and control, it is also about passion and defense. Strength. The more you learn, the more you can control your emotions and your feelings. We are not quick to anger, but we are swift to defend. It is about respecting yourself and others." The man hooked his hands behind his waist and started to circle her. "I am Sensei Wyatt. If you are sure you wish to join my dojo, I _will_ work you."

"I understand. I want to do it. Is there a price?"

"I offer my students their belt and uniform. The price is listed at twenty five monthly. That will give you the best training you can receive around this area."

"Okay sir."

"Where did you receive your training? Who was your prior instructor?"

"I took Tae Kwon Do in Los Angeles with Instructor Sensei Ryan Cunningham."

"I recognize that name, it is my cousin. He is a more fierce instructor than I am. I trust his teaching, if you say you were a black belt, then you most definitely earned your rank. I want you to show me what you remember. What has he taught you?"

She went into her fighter stance form, feeling the fire of confidence that she'd lost so long ago. The confidence that Sinjin spoke of. Martial Arts would teach this. She narrowed her eyes, wishing to prove herself to this man. Determination filled her as she let out a shout and leaned back, kicking her leg forward as the Instructor did the same, clashing their heels together.

She spun around, planted her foot and blocked an incoming punch with her left wrist. The sparring match went on for some time, her determination prevailing over any possible exhaustion. Eventually the students in the dojo had stopped to watch. Trina was pushing the man back towards the center of the dojo, she was in control of this match. He was using swift movements to block and deflect her every blow.

After some amount of time, Instructor Wyatt called for the end of the match. They bowed at each other and Trina's lips swirled into a smile. The familiar adrenaline pumping through her body was pure bliss to her, she had missed it for so long. "I see you have learned well, to be able to do that when called out on the spot."

"Thank you."

Where were these moves when Seth attacked her? Where were these moves when Chester so drunkenly manhandled her? Where was this confidence? This fire? Had she really been that out of it? Never again, she wouldn't allow someone to do this to her again.

"I would be honored to be your sensei."

"I'd be honored if you would teach me. I feel like I have a lot to learn. I'm trying to discover myself, trying to build myself back up. My confidence fell down considerably in the last year, and I want to get it back."

"Then you, Miss Vega, are in the right place."

* * *

Well, you like? What are your thoughts on the events of the chapter?


	16. It's the Journey

The Runaway

Disclaimer: Don't own Victorious, or FOP

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 16 (It's the Journey)

Trina awoke the next morning to Vicky shaking her. It was still somewhat dark, so she didn't want to get up. "Vicky it's _too_ early." She didn't know Vicky woke up so damn early before, but just _how_ early was it? She opened one eye and glanced over at the clock on the end table. She was on her chest, her left arm hanging over the bed. To her astonishment, it was five-thirty in the morning! "What the _hell_?!"

"Oh yeah Trina, we're doing this." What was this? Was she about to do as she did when she was a child? Trina rolled onto her back and slowly sat up, pulling the covers up farther over her body. She didn't often sleep in anything besides her bra, and of course, she admired her privacy. "You said you wanted to get your confidence back, right? To get stronger physically and emotionally? To find yourself?"

"Yeah…that's why I went back into martial arts training."

"That's good, that will help. But I'm going to do my part too. Now get up." She moaned and looked down at her blanket. "Yes I know you're just wearing a bra and all. You don't have anything I haven't seen before, little sister, I am not leaving this room until I see you out of that bed and getting dressed."

"Oh all right." She muttered and threw off her covers. Vicky grinned triumphantly as Trina rubbed her hair and walked towards the closet. "So what's going on? Why are you waking me up so _early_?"

"Because we have a long day. Not to mention work and then you're doing your martial arts thing. That means I have you for the morning hours. Now, I will explain something to you, baby sister. I am a Drill Instructor for the Marine Corps, or I _was_." She began to pale, her eyes widening in shock. She'd never quite discussed with Vicky what the woman was up to over the last thirteen years. She chuckled nervously and slowly looked over to her sister. Vicky closed her eyes and folded her arms over. "I went to college, then the Marines. I trained to be a Drill Instructor and I have seen the growth of many troops. That's why I'm the way I am, I expect the best and I try to get people to be strong, teaching them to grow. And sis, that's what I'm going to do."

"Oh god…"

It was not long before Vicky had her running through the muddy woods outside Dimmsdale. It was raining heavily and she made the mistake of choosing a _good_ shirt to wear with her work out shorts. Oddly enough, Vicky had a full on obstacle course made up in these woods. She breathed heavily as she ran through a patch of tires, putting each leg carefully in each hole.

This was supposed to give her extra training? This was supposed to help build character? She groaned as she hopped up onto a high bar between a pair of trees and began doing her pull ups. Her arms burned after pulling herself up a third time, and Vicky wanted her to go up to ten? "You'll reach it eventually Trina. You need to have the determined mind. Push yourself, force yourself, you can do it. Have confidence in yourself!"

"It _hurts!"_

"You want me to yell at you like I did my troops? I will. I had to leave after an accidental gunshot wound. A soldier fired off their gun without realizing it and struck me in the knee." As she listened to Vicky's story, focusing solely on that, she continued her pull ups. She began to realize this was the point. Once she reached ten, Vicky called her to hang off the bar and began doing upside down sit ups.

Breathing heavily, Trina grabbed her shoulders and clenched her teeth as she used all her upper body strength to perform the action. "Soon, Trina, soon you will be punching every time you come up! You can do anything, it's all exercise. Just have the mindset." It was raining, her hair was a mess, she was sweating, her body was aching, and Vicky simply kept pushing her. She hung freely and let her arms fall down, sighing heavily. Vicky cleared her throat and raised her voice. "Come on! We take no breaks! Keep going!"

"But-"

"Keep it up! Five more!" She rolled her eyes and grit her teeth, continuing the sit ups. "After this we're doing another jog! I'm not giving up you, Trina, don't give up on me! What are you? A quitter? You like to give up? You going to _cry_ on me?" She growled as adrenaline pumped through her and she began trying harder.

"I am no quitter! I will not cry! The pain is nothing!"

"Get down, soldier!" Trina hurried from the bar and lay on the floor as Vicky was instructing her. "Pushups now!" Her arms were on fire more than before, but she wasn't one to argue. "Come on!" She groaned as mud splashed onto her face. Her fingers slipped about trying to grasp onto something as she slowly pushed her body upwards. "That's one! Keep it up! Don't you quit on me! Don't you ever quit on me!"

"I'm not a quitter!"

"You're not? I beg to differ!"

"I _don't_ give up!" Her voice echoed through the air as she pushed herself vigorously, grunting each time. She narrowed her eyes, her chest throbbed and her body quivered. "I am no quitter, Vicky!"

"I've yet to see that. Prove it to me! Ten more!"

"Ten-Okay…"

After pushing herself through the pushups, Vicky had her running around a previously chosen route. She was to run for two miles without stopping. Halfway through, her breathing was heavy and her body soaked with sweat and rain. "Come on Trina! You like running? You enjoy running!" She rolled her eyes, huffing as her legs screamed for a break.

Every step was harder as mud pulled at her. She felt as though she were carrying a ton of weight on her backs. "This is…almost too much."

"I've had soldiers running with a total of eighty pounds on their back. You have nothing. No excuses! I will work you hard, believe me!" All this just to get her confidence up? She heard exercise was good for this, and sure the determination was helping, but this was beginning to get rather taxing. Although, she knew she shouldn't complain, Vicky was _still_ taking it easy on her.

"How easy are you going on me right now?"

"How easy? From day one I made my trainees wear their heavy backpacks. In all they did, they had an extra fifty to eighty pounds on them!" Her eyes widened. She was definitely impressed with Vicky right now, and she was beginning to enjoy this, but she hated the fact that they were in the rain. However, she wasn't about to ask Vicky to _not_ take it easy on her. "The verbal abuse is less too! I had grown men crying for their mommies, I would make you cry for your momma, but you left your momma! You think I'm taking it too far yet? Cause I _will_ cross that line! Run faster!" With that, Trina grit her teeth and picked up the pace, using all her energy to push herself. She wasn't giving up, she wasn't quitting, she would reach that finish line no matter how hard Vicky pushed her.

"This is taking back your life," Vicky said after the jog and a quick break. They were now in a field, the rain had ceased, and now they were in a mock fight. She was punching at Vicky's hands, sparring with her. "This is seizing control of your life, your emotions. This is _growth,_ Trina!"

"I'm getting tired."

"Tired? What do you want me to do, get Sinjin over here with some of his miracle drinks? No. Keep going! Swing at me!" Trina eyed Vicky's hands, moving slowly in the air. Mentally, she thought of Seth, of Chester and even Trixie. She imagined Jade's words and how they damaged her.

With a dangerous roar, Trina slammed her best fist forward, striking sharply at Vicky's hand. She doubled up her second hand and shot it towards Vicky's gut, letting the woman block it with her free hand. The rage-filled boxing continued for several minutes until Vicky sidestepped her and pushed her forward by striking her in the back with her elbow. She stumbled, eyes widening as she put her hands out to catch herself on the ground.

"You need to be in control of your movements at all times. Don't let the other person get the better of you, do not let them find an opening." She flipped herself onto her back, holding herself up on her elbows and breathing heavily as Vicky gazed down at her. "You're going to get better. You're going to heal, you will get stronger both emotionally and physically. I'm doing this for you, Trina. Understand?"

"Yes…"

"We'll be doing this the same time every morning. Breakfast, then coming out here. After that, shower and then we get to work. I trust you'll still be doing your martial arts?"

"Of course."

"Good." Vicky reached down and Trina lifted her hand, grasping her sister's. She let out a grunt as Vicky pulled her up to her feet and helped her to stand. She was covered in mud, her best shirt ruined, and her hair was a stringy mess. "Let's get home and get you cleaned up, Trina. Next time, I'll be swinging back at you. I expect you to be able to dodge and hit back."

"Okay." Strike back, she would, no matter what. She wasn't going to let anyone get the better of her again. No one would manhandle her like Seth did, or Chester. She hated being the damsel in distress, she hated not being able to take care of herself. She was grateful for Vicky being there to push her, though it was almost nightmarish at times. She would get used to it. "I may take a bath instead of a shower and just soak, my body is on fire. I can barely walk."

"That'll happen, but the body will get better. You haven't done anything in months, so your endurance and everything has gone down. Now it's time to build that up again."

"Yeah…" This was going to be an interesting day. Work, and then her first real class of martial arts. "I am going to be _so sore_ tomorrow." She almost wondered how Sinjin was with his hands, if he could give her a massage. Closing her eyes, she imagined herself laying face down as his hands slowly guided themselves along her back.

Startled, she opened her eyes and gasped out before cleared her throat. Vicky raised an eyebrow at her, "You all right?"

"Y-Yeah it's nothing." She wasn't letting herself open up to being attracted to anyone at this point. Timmy, Sinjin, any guy at all, she just simply couldn't let herself fall into that right now. "Vicky, I'm looking forward to this…I mean, I'm scared sure, but I can't live my life without my confidence. What Seth and his friends did to me…they 'put out my fire', and I want that back…"

"It will come back, Trina. Just give it time." Vicky pat her back and gave her a reassuring smile. Maybe she was right, hopefully she would get better and begin to heal. This was only the first step. "It's a journey, but you can make it. You're strong, Trina. You're my little sister, you have to be strong. No one can bring you down, don't let them. Stand up. When it's raining, stand. When the whole world is crashing and all seems to be lost, stand and move. You can do it."

"Thanks." It was good having someone believe in her for once. She was beginning to open her eyes to see that maybe, just maybe, not everyone in the world hated her.

* * *

We've learned what Vicky's been up to all these years, a little more depth to her. Looks like she's taken to whipping Trina back into shape. What do you think of this chapter?


	17. Soreness

The Runaway

Disclaimer: Don't own Victorious, or FOP

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 17 (Sore)

Trina lay on her back beside the martial arts studio, her arms were spread out and her hand was clutching to her cell phone. Heavy breaths fell from her lips as her chest rose and fell. Her limbs were extremely sore, she thought they were going to fall off. It had indeed been a long and hard day, she hadn't felt this degree of soreness in so long it was frightening. Yet, she enjoyed it.

Above her, Sinjin's head came into view. His eyebrow was raised and his lip curved into a smirk, "You called?" Yes, he was the first person she thought to call and ask to pick her up. Why? Maybe it was due to her not having him around to get her through things for so long. She did want him to know she thought the world of him, that she needed him when she needed him.

"Can hardly move, Sinjin. Vicky's began to go militaristic on me, so a lot of rigorous exercise every day. Then the martial arts. My arms and legs are falling off. Speaking of which…I do still have them attached, don't I?"

"Sure looks that way." She felt him pat her elbow and sighed as he reached under her back and knees, lifting her up. She was startled that he could do it, but it wasn't like she weighed too much. "I'll get you to the car, after that, where do you want me to take you. Back to your place?"

"I think I want to see your puppy." He nodded and carried her to the car. She was being lazy at this point, actually Trina was enjoying the fact that someone was carrying her off. "How is the puppy?"

"Ginger is excitable as always." She grinned as he slipped her into the passenger side of his car. Once he was in his side and started the car up, she could feel the pleasant hum going through her body. "So you're getting back into the tough stuff again? I'm proud." She turned her head to him. Her heart lifted up and her hands moved to her lap.

"I'm taking back my life. At least, that's what Vicky says. I want to be in control of my own body, my own life. I'm not letting anyone manhandle me again."

"Good, I'm glad you've made the start."

Once at the motel, she was laying down on the bed with Ginger curled up at her chest. She wasn't sure how late it was, or whether Vicky would lock up the house if she didn't get home by a certain time. "Sinjin?" He looked over from the table he was at. "Is it obvious that I missed talking to you?"

"Well let's see, first time you saw me you jumped up and hugged my neck. I'm guessing you missed me a little."

"That…" She lifted her hand, chuckling nervously as she thought of an excuse. "That was the caffeine from the epic coffee." Sinjin laughed. Maybe it wasn't a good excuse, but she was going with it. She lowered her arm back over Ginger and brightened as the puppy began to lick the back of her hand. "Mom could never own pets because she was heavily allergic. I love dogs, though. They're the sweetest most loving creatures alive."

"That they are." She pecked the top of Ginger's head and rested her chin on the puppy's back. Her eyes drifted over to Sinjin and her head tilted towards the right.

"How long have you been away from home, Sinjin?"

"It's been a long time. I only recently went back."

"What about college?"

"I had to take time off. I mean online classes, sure, but for the most part I wasn't attending a semester. Even this semester I'm only taking online courses." She felt incredibly guilty and responsible for this, she didn't want him to not go to college because of her. She breathed in slowly and turned her gaze to Ginger, slowly running her fingers through the dog's soft fur.

"Do you think you'll make your coffee or hot chocolate into an official brand? Like, share it with the world and whatnot." He leaned back in his chair, humming out his thoughts. She thought he could make quite a bit of money off his brands, but she also understood any possible hesitant feelings. It would be a shame if he made it into some big company and the factories dulled the originality of it by making it less authentic. He made his coffee and hot chocolate from scratch, likely he didn't want anything tampering with his recipes. "Still, I think it would be nice if you did. Think of all the people who could really enjoy the taste." He smiled at her and tapped his fingertips together.

"I suppose, but I don't know. I still would like to be a professor. History professor, that is." She liked the sound of that, and Sinjin could surely achieve that goal. "By the way, I ran into Timmy Turner today." Her eyebrows shot up and she quickly looked over to him. His eyes were closed and his lips were tucked into a very subtle smirk. "You, of all people, were dating a twenty three year old guy in the fifth grade? I thought you always wanted a guy who was educated?"

"Oh hush. I had a massive crush on him growing up. I dated him because I wanted to feel like the past could make me happy. Turns out…I wasn't all that happy. He's a great guy, but for me, I think I prefer him as a friend at this point…"

"He seems to want to date you still. Have you been clear to him you're not interested in dating anyone?"

"Yes I have. He still has hope, and I don't know, I think it's sweet how he keeps trying to court me…"

"I see. Hmm…" Sinjin shook his head and began to walk over, sitting beside Ginger and petting the dog's head. Trina caught his glance and felt her heart skip a beat. What was going on here? These strangest of feelings that she had. "You like the attention, and that's fine. You've always loved attention, or getting attention from people, but bear in mind…it wouldn't be right for you to lead someone on if you don't intend on getting back with them."

"I know. I just, I don't know _what_ I want. I know I have to figure it out, and I will." She wrapped her arms around Ginger's neck and let the puppy lick her face. Laughter fell from her lips as the dog's relentless assault tickled her. "I know that I want to cuddle up with Ginger all night."

"That would be nice, but you realize it wouldn't be right for you to stay here all night. Vicky might get concerned, don't you think?" True, there were some things that would look terrible if she stayed overnight in Sinjin's hotel room.

"Fine, I'll take Ginger with me."

"I don't know, that's a friendly dog, but she won't go home with just anyone. I've never seen that pup leave my side."

"Well I think she's adorable." She snuggled close to Ginger, still laughing as the dog continued the licking. Sinjin hooked his finger beneath his lower lip, chuckling softly at the sight.

"This whole thing is adorable."

"Well of course! I'm cute, Ginger's cute, there's just a world of cuteness in this room right now. Is it too much cuteness for you to bear, Sinji?" She pouted her lip, then followed up with a smirk. Sinjin smirked back, rolling his eyes.

"Nah, I think it's just the right level of 'cuteness'." Her cheeks went red as Sinjin slowly rose to his feet and walked towards the door. "Anyway, it's getting late, and I think we should be getting you back to your sister."

"Aw, but I want to stay and play around with Ginger."

"You can play with her tomorrow, the day after that, or whatever day you feel like. Both Ginger and I need to get some sleep."

"Okay." With a sad grunt, she pushed herself from the bed and leaned over, rubbing Ginger's cheeks once more and blowing in the puppy's face. "You're so cute! Yes you are, yes you are! I'm going to come by tomorrow or sometime with a Frisbee or a tennis ball. You're so cute!"

"Come on, Trina." She turned around, smiling as Sinjin rolled his eyes. Was she annoying him yet? She hoped so! Feeling rather proud of herself, she followed him out into the car and waited as he drove off. "So, tell me about Magnate." Instantly she was deflated, how had he known about that? Then again, he did meet Timmy and she spoke briefly about it, which she'd forgotten. "Timmy said you chained yourself to a tree?"

"Heh, yeah I didn't want something of my past to be destroyed when I was coming back to reattach to my past." Sinjin gave her a look of concern. She had to admit, chaining herself to the tree was dumb of her, and of course, she was terrified that Magnate wasn't going to stop. He would have killed her right then and there. "Hugh Magnate was a creep, a sadistic and tyrannical madman."

"Trina, I can understand wanting to be an activist and trying to stop someone from tearing down your home, but please don't do something that may get you killed."

"I didn't think he was that bad at first. Not to mention, I was kind of messed up at the time. You know how I hate being a damsel, right?"

"Yep."

"I wound up getting kidnapped by the guy." Sinjin coughed and looked over to Trina with wide eyes. She didn't know if she really wanted to actually reveal that, but it was a little late for that now. "He wound up locking me in some cage that I had to dig my way out of. Not to mention almost falling into a bottomless pit…"

"So what I'm hearing is…"

"I was weak."

"I wouldn't say that, but at the very least, at least you're safe." Sinjin slowly turned onto another street, sighing heavily as he studied the street signs. "So what happened to that guy?"

"He got arrested and lost his job, his assistant took over, and we've not seen or heard of him since."

"Good. Not sure I'd be too willing to run into a guy like that."

"I'm curious, about how much did you and Timmy talk about?" Sinjin glanced from the corner of his eyes, smirking subtly. "He wasn't like sizing you up or anything was he?"

"Now why would he go and do that?" The car stopped at the curb and Sinjin pointed past her. "We're here, and it looks like the lights are still on."

She glanced at the house and smiled at the yellow lights coming through the windows. Amazingly, Vicky didn't go to bed yet, but she probably was still in some degree of trouble. "Oh. I'm probably going to get lectured about not telling her where I went to or something."

"Probably, but hey, maybe you'll luck out and she won't care that it's so late…"

"Or, tomorrow's training is going to be just that much intense. She said that we're going to have an actual fight practice, so expect bruises."

"All right, then I won't be worried."

"Good." She opened up the door and gazed back wistfully, "Thanks for picking me up, Sinji." He smiled back at her and waved goodbye as she shut the door and hurried towards the house. She was in a surprisingly good mood. When she put her hand to the doorknob, she glanced back to see Sinjin watching, making sure she got in safe. _"I guess if wishes could actually come true without the use of magic, I'd wish I never vanished on him…"_ She opened the door slowly and entered to see Vicky lounging on the couch, her eyelids down halfway. "I guess she fell asleep after all."

* * *

Fell asleep with one eye open probably. Well what do you guys think of this chapter?


	18. Day in the Park

The Runaway

Disclaimer: Don't own Victorious, or FOP

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 18 (Just a Day in the Park)

Armed with a Frisbee and tennis ball, Trina met Sinjin and Ginger at the Dimmsdale park. "I can't believe you roped me into coming out here," Sinjin smirked as he ran his hand along his dog's coat. Trina smirked back and lifted up the two items. She watched Ginger in the corner of her eyes, the puppy was gazing at the objects with a happy dog grin.

"So which one's first. I'm thinking the Frisbee's for you, Sinijn. Ever caught one in your mouth?"

"No and I'm not about to." She huffed and folded her arms, giving him a dangerous glare. She wasn't going to win this, so it wasn't a big issue. "Try the ball, I've played catch with her before, but never with a Frisbee." With that, she showed Ginger the tennis ball. The pup stood on all fours, her tail wagged back and forth like a high speed metronome. She tossed the ball several feet away and Ginger immediately ran after it. Once the pup went and grabbed the ball, Sinjin called her back.

Ginger hopped over to Trina and gazed up, wagging her tail and jumping for joy. "Aw! Good girl, Ginger!" She reached down and pat the dog on the head. It was a shame her mother had been allergic to dogs growing up, but this made up for all those years of wanting a dog. "Fetch the ball!" Once more she tossed the ball and Ginger retrieved it. Trina glanced back at Sinjin with a happy laugh. He smiled at her and leaned back on the stone he was sitting on. It had been so long since she'd been _this_ happy before. Granted, she was happy with Timmy, but it didn't feel this _real_ before.

"I'm impressed with how close you and Ginger have become, I actually got her from a rescue shelter." Her heart sank as Ginger came running back with the ball, dropping it at her feet and barking. Trina frowned and knelt down, crooning over the puppy. "She's never trusted other people so much."

"Her last owners hurt her?"

"Yeah." He leaned back on his arms. Trina glanced back sorely, but still feeling a connection with the dog. "You know, they say animals have a way of detecting a genuine person. Sometimes even a like minded, kindred soul." She ran her hands beneath Ginger's ears and let the dog lick her face. She leaned back after several seconds, feeling a deep sadness in her heart.

"So tell me the truth…Do you think I'm being cold? Selfish?" She turned her gaze to him, thinking of her family in LA. "Not wanting to go back."

"I don't think you not wanting to go back to LA is you being cold or selfish. I think it's you being guarded. Defensive. However…I'll be honest, I think refusing to say anything to even your little sister may be a little selfish. I'll be honest, I spoke with your father, but when pressed, I told him nothing about you. Just that I…had a possible lead…" Her heart broke imagining her father hearing that glimmer of information, but weeping over never knowing.

Maybe she was being selfish, or maybe she was trying to protect herself from any extra pain. She'd not known he was in contact with her dad, and she respected that he didn't simply give her away to anyone. She gazed down at the dog, sighing heavily as the puppy's eyes danced in her gaze.

It was amazing how happy Ginger seemed to be, delighting and trusting in the love of a human. A dog's love was everlasting, but it still made Trina feel like a sham. Even Vicky was willing to take her in, and here, she couldn't stand the thought of going near her relatives. _"I still have my reasons."_ She took the ball and slowly stood up, tossing it into the distance once more. "Just a lead…and how did Dad take that?"

"He was understandably upset, still not knowing anything about his daughter. Pretty sure I heard Tori bawling in the background, since she was there while we talked about you." She closed her eyes and breathed out slowly, so as not to let her emotions get in the way. She never wanted to hurt Tori, or even her dad, and while she was still skeptical anything would be different than it was before, she almost wanted to go to them.

"I know you're trying to get me to realize the pain they're going through, but I just…I don't know, it's almost like I'd have to hear it from them." Sinjin nodded, always one to understand how she felt about matters. "And I'm pretty sure that will never happen. Tori's never been sorry, her friends have never been sorry. I honestly don't think they ever will be."

"Your father told me if I ever find you to tell you that he does want you to come back, that things will be okay this time around. They love you, but I know it'll be hard to believe that after all that you've gone through."

"I wouldn't believe them, not unless I saw them saying it. The thing is, I never _want_ to see them. Where is Ginger?" She spun back around and Sinjin rose to his feet. Several feet away, Ginger was being petted by _Trixie_. "No!" She rushed over, hoping Sinjin would stay clear away from this woman. Trixie looked up, her lips curving into a bright smile. Ginger barked happily, wagging her tail at her.

"Is this your dog?"

"It's my friend's dog."

"Oh." Trixie stood up and Trina watched as Ginger scurried over to Sinjin. "Didn't know you liked animals that much. I'm setting up a karaoke here at the park, if you're interested."

"No thanks." She wasn't that good of a singer, but it was more the faster songs that she couldn't sing to. Slower songs were more her forte, but at the same time, she didn't trust Trixie not to do something terrible. Trixie looked smug and folded her arms. Trina shrugged her shoulders and started walking away.

"My little sister told me you couldn't sing worth a damn." She froze, her eyes drifting to the concerned expression on Sinjin's face. "Don't worry, this was before you came here. She doesn't know you're in town. So are you scared? I want to know if she's right."

"Shut up. I don't sing, Trixie."

"Scared. Yeah, that's right." She saw Sinjin shaking his head, but the feeling inside of her was stirring into a powerful anger. She knew what song she'd sing if she did, one that was playing on the radio for some time when she left LA. "Oh well. I tried, I guess Jade's right about yet another thing, huh?"

"No she is _not!" _Trina spun around, a fire burning inside of her. "Want me to sing? Fine! I'll sing." She wasn't going to humiliate herself like Trixie was likely hoping she'd do, but she had to be careful. "I choose my song, got it?" Trixie's expression brightened as an evil grin shifted across her face.

"Fair enough." Trina was led to the makeshift karaoke stage in the center of the park. When she got up on the stage, she saw Sinjin walking to the crowd with Ginger. Trixie stood before the crowd, crossing her arms. "What's the song?"

She gripped the black microphone in her hands and looked over her shoulder. This was not a big stage, but larger than a platform that held cardboard boxes in the stores. It was about three feet high, and still revived so many old memories of LA. She closed her eyes and let a tear fall down her face. "Running Away, by Midnight Hour."

"Why that song?"

"Because it was playing constantly when I moved here, enough questions." This was for her family back home that she devoted this song, but she didn't want the people here in Dimmsdale to know of that significance. As the music played, she brought the microphone closer to her lips and started off slowly. _"__Don't lie and say that it's okay, it's all right yeah, there's nothing more to say…"_ Her eyelids slowly opened and she saw Vicky entering the park several feet away, she was surprised with how close the stage was to the entrance.

_"__So I'm running away, I'm leaving this place. Yeah, I'm running away, I'm running away."_ Her thoughts traveled to what Sinjin said her dad told him to relay to her. To the thoughts of Tori crying her eyes out. _"Don't tell me I'm the one to blame, it's too late for you to make me stay. No, I won't stay…"_Trixie lowered her arms, scowling at the fact that Trina wasn't screwing the song up.

Two things were going well for her. This song was not a faced song that required a lot of movement, and she listened to this song many times in the past, even singing along with it as it played._"Faster than you can follow me from this lonely place. Farther than you can find me. I'm leaving, yeah I'm leaving today…"_ Sinjin looked up at her with a sorrowful gaze. He knelt down and started petting Ginger. Timmy came walking up with Wanda and Cosmo in human form, gazing up. Trina was a bit shocked at his presence.

She closed her eyes, feeling the painful sting of tears on her cheeks and the endless tearing of her heart. Her greatest fear was that Trixie would tell her sister where she was, and then, her dad would come rushing up. But wait, wouldn't that be a good thing? No, she didn't want to hear hell from her father. She had her reasons. _"__I'll never let you find me! I'm leaving you behind with the past, no I won't look back. I don't want to hear your reasons, don't want to hear you tell me why I should stay, and try, try to understand me. Try to understand what I say when I say I can't stay…"_Her breath hitched as she mentally called back all the painful jeers and torments of Tori's friends, everything they did to her and said to her, calling her names and keeping her from actually talking with her sister. She recalled what Seth and his group had done to her, and her muscles began to tense. _"And I, I'm moving on from this place. Leaving and I won't quit running away…I'm running away, I'm leaving this place…"_Her hand lowered with the microphone, her body trembled slightly as the music ended the song. Trixie's mouth was wide open and silence hovered over the crowd. She wiped her tears from her eyes and choked on her words. "For my…family back home…"

After several seconds, Sinjin started to applaud, which awakened the crowd in a rush of applause, to which Trixie was not applauding. Her heart began to slowly rise up as she met Sinjin's proud gaze. She was aware why he started this immaculate applause for her. It _still_ felt good to be validated, to be approved and told she was doing a good job.

"Well…thank you everyone. Um, Trixie! Why don't you come up and sing now?" Trixie's eyes widened and the crowd began to cheer the girl on. Trixie looked about, chuckling nervously as Trina waved her up onto the stage. "Come on! You wanted me to sing, now it's your turn."

"No, I'm not that good of a singer. Really I'm not."

"Neither am I. Your little sister and her friends used to make fun of me because I was a terrible singer. Now get your sorry ass up here and sing!" The bitterness in her tone surprised her and struck Trixie, as the shock ran into her eyes. "I know you were hoping I'd make a fool of myself, but no, not here Trixie. I went with a song I know. You can do the same, surely."

"I uh…no…"

Trina hopped off the stage, feeling her confidence sweeping over her like a hurricane. She smirked at Trixie and began pushing the girl onto the stage. "How about this, your perfect song! Material Girl by Madonna!"

"W-What?"

"Go for it, it fits you." Once Trixie was on the stage, Trina handed her a microphone and walked off, grinning as the woman froze up. Her frightened gaze studied the crowd and the sun glistened on Trixie's sweat drenched arms.

As the music played, Sinjin stepped beside her, smirking as Vicky and Timmy walked over. "You always knew how to make a scene, Trina." She beamed with joy as Vicky and Timmy both congratulated her on the singing, in their own ways.

* * *

Ah Trina's slowly starting to heal here, tell me your thoughts.


	19. Matters of the Heart

The Runaway

Disclaimer: Don't own Victorious, or FOP

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 19 (The Matters of the Heart)

"Well that went terribly," Vicky snickered after Trixie stormed away from the stage. Trina was hanging near the area she'd been playing Ginger earlier. Sinjin was nearby with Timmy, who was busy petting Ginger. Wanda and Cosmo were watching the group, smiling at one another. "You have to wonder why she set up a karaoke stand if she didn't intend to sing herself."

Trina shrugged and sipped on a bottle of water. "I think she's just trying to wreck my life." Granted, her life had already been wrecked by one of the two sisters, she didn't need it being wrecked by the second. "I'm not letting Trixie get the better of me. I wasn't in a good place when Jade did what she did…"

"There it is," Sinjin remarked, "That's the Trina I remember." She glanced away bashfully, muttering over his words. It wasn't like she changed that much. Was she so riddled with insecurity that she forgot herself? "I like that better than the new, insecure you that you created when you ran from LA."

"He has a point," Timmy agreed. Her jaw dropped and Vicky's eyebrows rose. Timmy folded his arms over and closed his eyes, exhaling softly as Sinjin tossed the ball for Ginger to fetch. "He and I talked a little bit about your life before you came here, but _I asked_. So don't be mad at him." She raised an eyebrow and looked over to Sinjin. She was a little insulted, but at the same time, she wouldn't have asked Sinjin _not_ to talk to someone about her if they asked. "I guess I understand more why you came back now than I did before."

"Yeah, I mean, Dimmsdale was a happier place for me." She heard Vicky scoff. Trina smirked at her sister and let her eyelids fall halfway. "Not that Vicky didn't _try _to make it miserable for me." Vicky smirked back at her and gave her a thumbs-up. "Ironically, the sister that wound up making me run off was my younger…"

"Yeah, Sinjin and I talked about Tori. I never met her before, did I?"

"Nope, because she was always being sheltered by our mom. She didn't leave the house much as a kid, always clung to me too." The trio gave her odd looks at that mention. It was true, Tori clung to her. She put her hands to her hips and narrowed her eyes. "It's not like that didn't change when I stupidly decided to get her to join Hollywood Arts."

"You were doing something good for her, I don't see that as a bad thing." Timmy bowed his head for a second, a look flew through his eyes as though he had something on his mind. He lifted his head and breathed in slowly. "Trina, be honest with me. Is there a chance that you might ever date me again?" She tensed and felt both Vicky and Sinjin eyeing her with inquisitiveness. Why were people so concerned with her love life? "I know you don't want to date anyone right now, and I understand that from what you're going through, but…even once you've got all your emotions in check. If you knew what you want right now, would there be a chance? I don't want to think and hope, if there isn't a chance. I want to be your friend, if I can."

"Well of course I want to be your friend. You're a great guy, Timmy…" She took a deep breath and walked up to him. She put her hands to his shoulder and gazed into his eyes. They were full of determination and some bit of understanding. Behind her, Vicky signaled Sinjin to walk with her, and the two moved out of earshot. She was grateful for this, because she didn't want to reveal anything about Timmy's fairies. "I don't know what I want right now as far as relationships go, I have to work on non romantic relationships like that of my sister, or my friend Sinjin."

"I think you like him, just saying." Her cheeks went red and she quickly cleared her throat, attempting to deflect. "But yeah, you know I'm not very educated right now. Crocker's actually relieved I'm graduating his class, but I still have to go through years of schooling." She'd actually forgotten the rule that the 'fairy council' made with Timmy, that he couldn't actually use wishes on himself. So even if Wanda were letting him make wishes, he couldn't actually do it. "I'm probably going to take classes online, and I'm talking with mom and dad about possibly moving back in…but with some guidelines. They're making strict guidelines if I move back in."

"I can understand that. They deserve to do things like go on vacation and not have to watch over you constantly. As for right now Timmy, I can't be fair. I started to date you because of the connection to the past, you hadn't changed _at all_, and I found out it was because of Cosmo and Wanda. What I thought was making me happy were the wishes, and well, I learned you can't mend a broken heart with magic and wishes. Obviously my issues still exist, Trixie's out to get me just like her little sister hates me."

"Well I _could-"_

"No. You can't wish them away. I have to learn to deal with it. So you ask me if I think I have a future with you, but I don't know. I can't see one…as long as Cosmo and Wanda are there, and I love them so I wouldn't ask that they _not_ be there, then probably not. I'm unstable, Timmy. I don't even know what to do with my life. I can't have someone else in my life that is unstable…I need someone who knows what they want to be, who knows where their future is going, someone who…I know this sounds vain-but education is highly important to me too…"

"I know. I wish I could make you happy, and I do mean that from the bottom of my heart. I know I'm not the kind of guy that can do that right now, dealing with trying to get out of _elementary_ school for crying out loud! I...I should be in college like Sinjin, I should be doing great things, and I know by still being in the fifth grade, I'm essentially making Crocker's career go down the tubes…"

"Well you have to understand, he's probably going through a lot of meetings with the school board, counselors, higher ups…it's not easy to have the same student in your class for so long."

"Yeah…I guess he's lucky that he hasn't lost his job yet because of me." Timmy rubbed the back of his neck, sighing with despair. "I'm kind of like you right now in that same sense…I really can't see myself in a relationship now. At least not until I'm out of _high school_. I feel embarrassed to even date someone my age, then tell them I'm still in school. You remember one of the first conversations we had when you got back?"

"What?"

"You asked what I was up to and I said I was still in school. You seemed so excited that I was an 'educated man', and then you found out that meant I was still in the fifth grade…" He wasn't wrong, it was a little disheartening when he revealed that to her. His lack of an education wasn't a _major_ issue with her, but it was definitely an issue. She couldn't spend her life tutoring him and trying to help someone when she herself was in need of so much help. "As long as we can still be friends, I'm happy."

"Definitely." She hugged him, smiling as he hugged her back. There was no way in hell she _wasn't_ going to still be friends with him. No matter where her future led, she was always going to be able to talk with him and remain on good terms. "But in the future, could you _not_ tell people like Sinjin how I almost got myself killed when I got here? I'd rather avoid the questions." She leaned back and Timmy laughed, nodding his head. "Thanks, you know, I really try to avoid stuff like that."

"Yeah, I'll bear that in mind. I kind of just kept blabbing on, I mean it was nice to actually meet someone from your past. You never told me anything about LA, you know…I can understand _why_, thinking I wouldn't possibly understand. I guess to a degree, you'd be right, I would likely have tried to wish away the sorrow somehow."

"Maybe."

"I have to admit, he does make _awesome_ hot chocolate! The minute I tried some, I was hooked." He spread his arms out, laughing. His eyes glanced over to Sinjin and his hands flew back into his pockets. "I actually wouldn't mind having some more right about now."

"Go for it. I don't think he brought any of his stuff with him to the park, but I'm sure he'd be happy to make you some. He grew up looking after his sister, she was always sick and everything, so he started experimenting with comfort drinks and foods. The hot chocolate was perhaps the biggest hit, so he stuck with it. Works on me, even."

"Amazing. I'm going to go ask for a batch. Does he make them in those packets?"

"I don't think he sells his stuff to the stores, he's a little tentative on that issue. _I_ think he should, but _he's_ afraid of them taking out the originality of his recipe by ruining it with added stuff."

"Ah."

"Go ahead and talk to him. I've got some thinking to do." She smiled heartily as Timmy moved over to Sinjin and Vicky. Emotionally, she was doing well after her talk with him. Was she getting stronger? It was hard to say.

As she walked off for a bit, she started mulling over the matters that plagued her heart. So many things had been opened today, too many things. Remembering how Tori clung to her growing up, never wanting to lose her elder sister as they'd lost Vicky. Recalling how she used to be the light in her father's eyes, and now transitioning to his apparently undying search for her. Maybe Sinjin had a point, maybe she _should_ look into it, but she didn't want to.

She was afraid of what she might find. She was afraid that she wouldn't be strong enough to face them. _"If I am getting stronger…I'm still just a coward running from my fears, aren't I?"_

_Useless._

_ Worthless._

_ Can't do anything right._

No, nothing would mend her relationship with Tori at this point. Not unless Tori's friends could change. "I'd rather die than to go back and face them…because I know they don't want me…"

"That can be arranged." She tensed at the voice and slowly turned to see Hugh Magnate behind her. He had a cockeyed smirk on his face and narrow eyes.

"No. Not you…_not_ you…You won't turn me into a damsel again. I won't let you." She _hated_ being a damsel in distress more than anything. She knew how to fight, she could fight, so she hated being tied down and having to rely on someone else to save her ass. No, it wasn't going to be that way again. _"Not now, not after Seth, and not after Chester. This is _not_ going to be my trend!"_

"Why? I'm not going to do that, I'm going to kill you. You see, because of you…all my plans were ruined." She took a step back and let out a grunt as she felt something strike her in the back of her head. Darkness surrounded her and her body collapsed to the ground. Before losing consciousness, she heard Magnate order someone to take her off.

He better hope he ties her down well, for whenever she wakes back up, she was going to kill him. _"Won't let anyone…put me in this situation…"_ She felt herself being lifted and carried away. The last feeling she had before losing consciousness completely.

* * *

Well folks, what did you think of her talk with Timmy? Timmy's growing up a bit, realizing he needs to work on his life first too. Oh and on another note, you had to know Magnate was going to show up again at some point of time.


	20. Trina's Fight

The Runaway

Disclaimer: Don't own Victorious, or FOP

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 20 (Trina's Fight)

Trina slowly opened her eyes, groaning as her hand rubbed the back of her head where a light bump was felt. It was painful to the touch, causing her to cringe. Her body ached, and she felt an incredibly odd feeling inside her that sparked an intense anger and fear. She looked around her surroundings, trembling as her vision adjusted.

She found herself in a jail cell, which was inside a dark and empty room. The only light was coming from a window in a door, leading to an outside area. She began to stand, her legs trembling like jelly. As she stumbled, she grabbed the bars, wincing as she sought to keep herself upright. She could see three people outside the door, but only as shadowy figures. Where was she? What had these people done to her? _Who_ were these people? Besides the obvious, Magnate.

"I need to get out of here," she moaned. She looked around the cell, groaning as she saw a cluster of blood spots nearby. Had they beaten her? "Right…Magnate wants me dead." He may just get that opportunity, considering she was locked up in a jail cell. She rolled her eyes and moved her hand to her forehead. "Of course, blame me for your plans going awry. You're the one who went crazy and started making a bunch of random wishes with Timmy's fairies. Why did I come back to Dimmsdale again? Oh yeah, to get _away_ from people who hated me…"

Granted, she was certain Tori and even her friends would never do this to her. She hadn't been serious when she said she'd rather die, she didn't want to die. Who would want to die and leave things unsaid? Groaning, she shook her head and started looking over her body. She could see no wounds, so she had no idea whose blood that was nearby. Hopefully, it was a sign Magnate cut himself.

The door swung open and the three men walked in with confident grins on their faces. Trina froze up when she saw the two men helping Magnate. Chester and _Seth!_ Her heart began to pound as Seth eyed her with his cold eyes and slimy grin. Immediately she was flashing back to the attack, but trying not to let it tear her apart. Her body began trembling and she felt him undressing her with his eyes. "W-What are _you_ doing here? How'd you find me?"

"I'm here because your older sister came and beat the shit out of me and my friends." Vicky had done that? That explained how Sinjin found her, but she already knew Vicky had gone down there. She didn't know the woman beat the men up. "I followed, found Magnate, and we formed an alliance." He started to lick his lips, narrowing his eyes. "Thought I'd help tear you apart."

"Stop talking," Magnate growled. The man glared spitefully at Seth, a look that confused Trina. Why hadn't they killed her yet? If they were to do that, they should have done it when she was unconscious! Now, if they got close to her, she could possibly fight them off. That was assuming she could push down the nauseating feeling inside her and beat the living shit out of Seth. Magnate stepped forward, clutching his wrists behind his back. "I've been watching you for a while, Tootie. Or should I say, _Trina_. You wouldn't believe my joy when you pissed off the town cop, so I formed an alliance with Chester here…"

She wanted to turn her glare towards the cop, but she was still staring at Seth. His constant gaze terrified her, made her feel more uncomfortable than she'd ever felt before. At the same time, it incited a feeling of rage within her. "So that explains how I woke up in a jail cell…"

"Basically. We ran into Seth as he was searching around for you. He figured you were close to your sister or something, so he wanted to cause you pain while causing her pain at the same time for what she did. But you know how it goes with crack addicts." Seth rolled his eyes and flipped off Magnate, who merely shrugged his shoulders in response. "It's a shame, knowing what happened to you in the past, that you became a little runaway." She narrowed her eyes on Magnate and let a growl fall from her throat. He started to laugh and moved another few steps closer to her. "Shame you're going to die without patching things up with your family."

"Fuck you, Magnate…"

"Ooh! Strong words! How pathetic…you know, from someone that should be strong, you seem so weak. After all, you did run away because some deranged fuck did something bad to you. Who is it though causing the pain for your family back home?" She rolled her eyes once more and glanced away. How dare Magnate try to understand anything when he knew nothing! "You say you'd rather die. It's time to grant you that _wish_, because _no one_ is coming to save you."

"I don't _need_ anyone to _save_ me!" Her anger spiked and her hands gripped the bars. Her body was still screaming in pain, but the adrenaline was lessoning that a bit. "I am not a damsel in distress, I can take care of myself!"

"Yeah right," Seth scoffed and crossed his arms over, still glaring at her with a disgusting expression that Trina wished to punch away. "You were so fucking easy to beat down that we laughed it up for days! You're just some weak, pathetic bitch who can't do a thing right." Her heart ceased and her body froze as his words burned into her. Tears began to well up in her eyes. Her legs trembled, daring to buckle underneath and make her collapse on the ground. "You couldn't take care of yourself if you tried."

"_Cold, I feel cold. My body is numb, my insides are churning and I feel like puking up a storm. I hate these men. What did they do to me? What do they think they're going to do to me? Killing me? No, not without a fight!"_

She heard Sensei Wyatt's voice in her head, pepping her up and training her. With his words was Vicky's voice, shouting out the same but with compassion in her throat.

_Fight._

_ Fight them._

_ Keep fighting, be strong, you are strong._

_ Your emotions are yours, your body is yours, be in control of your heart and soul. Don't let anyone tamper with it. Don't do it._

_ Your heart is yours! Your heart is not a child's plaything, you are not a toy, nobody has a right to tell you what you are. You are not weak, you are strong. Stand up and fight for your life!_

She started to smirk as a familiar favorite song came onto the radio in the other room. Christina Aguilera's _Fighter_ echoed into the room. "Fine, I'll let you kill me. I understand…but first…" She moved her gaze to Chester, he was the weakest person in the room right now. He _didn't_ have control over her, he _didn't_ have power, but _she_ had power over him. "Chester. Come…before they kill me, I…I will give you what you want." He perked up and lifted his eyebrows as she slowly closed her eyes. "If you want to make out, we'll do that."

"R-Really?"

"Yeah…sure…"

_Don't quit on me! Don't you fucking quit on me sister! You're a fighter, you are strong, you keep that determination and confidence up!_

As Chester began walking towards the cell, she heard Sinjin's compassionate voice echo in her mind. Her heart began to lift itself up once more as her lips curved into a slow smile. _"There's the Trina I remember…That's the confidence…"_

"Seth, I just want to say…" She opened her eyes and looked to him with a slow smile as Chester unlocked the cell door. She breathed in slowly, speaking along with Christina's song. These were the words, this was the song she wished to tell to Tori, to Tori's friends, to _Seth_. "After all you put me through, you'd think I'd despise you…" Seth raised an eyebrow. Trina listened to the lock click and the cell door creak open. "But in the end, I want to thank you." Her lip turned into a slow smirk and Magnate's eyes began to widen as Chester stepped into the cell. The two men knew what was coming, she could see the terror in their eyes. "Because you made me _that_ much stronger."

"Shit!" Magnate screamed out, "Chester! Get out of there!"

"Too late!' She grabbed Chester's throat and slammed him against the bars. He screamed out in anguish as she grabbed his wrist and slipped it through the bars. She worked his arm as if it were a needle and thread, bringing it in and out, looping around two bars before she grabbed his keys and handcuffs. She cuffed his wrist to the bar and fled from the cell, yelling out her triumph. "You thought I was going to let you have your way with me, Chester? Keep dreaming! When I get out of here, you're going to lose your badge, I hope you know that!"

She ducked behind a nearby desk and listened as Magnate growled. Thinking quickly, she pocketed the jail keys and studied her surroundings. "Don't let this faze you, Magnate." Seth's voice was like poison to her ears. He wanted to destroy her? He wasn't getting the chance. Not a second time in a row! "Come on Trina, we just want to talk. You know, you look so adorable when you're all frizzled, that's why I decided to date you right?"

"Oh shut up, Seth. You only wanted to date me so you and your thugs could beat me. You thought you could destroy me, thought you could tear me apart, but you can't. You won't win. I won't _let_ you win. My daddy's a cop, and you don't fuck with a cop's daughter!" Seth began to laugh and Magnate groaned at her statement.

"You ran away, you think your father even gives a fuck anymore?"

"Sinjin says Dad's been looking for me. He says Tori's been upset, that her friends are upset."

"Oh please, people say anything they want."

"Shut up!" She clenched her eyes, feeling the sting of the verbal assault on her mind. Her emotions were like a tornado inside of her, destroying her. She knew Sinjin would never lie to her, and she also knew that if everything he said was true, she wanted to hear it from _them_. Not from him. "You can't just come walking back into my life, Seth. You don't control me! You don't rule me! You hear? You don't fucking rule me!"

She put her hand on the desk and flung herself over it, screaming out as she kicked her legs forward. Seth's eyes widened and he quickly pulled on Magnate's arm. The man screamed in anguish as her kick struck him in the chest. Seth spun out of the way and narrowed his eyes. Trina stood beside Magnate and narrowed her eyes. "You made a bad choice, keeping me alive long enough for me to wake up. Why the hell would you even make that mistake?"

She saw Magnate looking at her, groaning as Seth took a dangerous step towards her. Seth's hands tensed as his eyes burned into her. "Because that would take the fun out of torturing you while you're conscious." She looked down to see a flash of guilt pass through the Magnate's eyes. The man had an angry tremble as he turned his gaze to Seth. "I have to admit, I didn't want to work with these two idiots, but hey it got me closer to _you_. I guess it pays off."

"So you just wanted to hurt me a second time, you wanted to damage me even more?" She swept her hand in the air, shouting out angrily. "Not happening a second time. I'm trying my hardest to move beyond that past, I won't let you rule me anymore!" Standing there before him was more than simply terrifying, it was taking every ounce of strength inside her not to fall to the ground in tears. His eyes on her, his cocky posture and vicious smirk felt very real to her. It was like a slimy sensation being formed on her body just from his gaze alone.

"You think you can stand up to me, huh. What is filling your head with all this? What makes you think anyone gives a shit?"

"Because there are people that _do_ give a shit. Regardless of what you say. I have people who care about me."

"Well, allow me to refill your mind with fresh doubts." He began moving towards her, raising his hand. She watched him closely, leaning back and preparing to move.

"I don't care to hear them, Seth."

"Too bad, because you-" Screaming out, she interrupted him with a swift and powerful blow to his jaw. Seth leaned back, grunting as his hand flew to the place of contact on his left side. She moved around him and dealt a quick side kick into his back, grimacing at the stab of pain shooting through her own body. They must have beaten her while unconscious, it was the only explanation. To beat her with whatever weapons, bats or other blunt objects, just to make it harder for her to move if she woke up.

"Good thing Sensei Wyatt taught me endurance. This pain, I can endure." Seth staggered forward, growling as he glared over his shoulder.

"Bitch…" He twisted around, countering a punch that she was throwing. His second fist slammed into her abdomen, causing her to scream out and stagger backwards. She lifted her head and gasped as he slapped her with the back of his hand. She fell back against the bars and groaned as she sank to the ground. "Fuck messing with your head." He reached into his pants and removed a hidden pistol. Trina's eyes widened as he aimed it for her. "I'm going to go ahead and shoot you now, get it over with! Nobody will fucking miss you! I should have killed you the first time."

* * *

Seth, the bastard. I have no words. Let me know your thoughts


	21. Survivor

The Runaway

Disclaimer: Don't own Victorious, or FOP

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 21 (Survivor)

Her body trembled as she watched him pull the hammer back on his pistol. A whimper left her throat and fear gripped her heart. Thoughts of Tori pounded her mind, memories of her father and Tori's friends plagued her heart as she gazed down the barrel. "I-I don't want to die…" Seth chuckled darkly and his lips turned into a sick, snakelike grin.

"Fuck that, bitch."

"No. I-I can't die before-"

"Listen to me carefully. I don't care. Okay, so maybe your little sister and her friends are fucked up out of shape since you ran off, but don't forget, _you __ran away from them_. Whether they're sorry or not, it probably doesn't matter to you, so what good would keeping you around do for anyone? Let me finish the job. Now shut the fuck up, I don't want to have to listen to your nauseating voice when I pull this trigger."

Tears ran along her face and she quickly glanced around the room, trying to figure out how she could get out of this situation. She was basically cornered, the only way she could save herself was to kick out his feet, but that would be a dangerous attempt since he was seconds from shooting her. As she closed her eyes, she grimaced thinking of her family.

She would never see them again, never speak with them again, and she would die before ever knowing whether or not her sister and her friends actually felt _anything_ for her. Something she doubted but fought with for so long.

Two shots rang out, but no pain followed. Her eyes flew open and she saw Seth with his eyes full of pain and fear. His body was trembling and his hand was shaking. Blood was seeping from his chest, drenching his body. He fell to his knees, meeting her eyes with his. She panted out her fearful breaths and slowly grasped the bars with her fingers.

"You…don't hold any power over me, Seth…" His eyes rolled to the back of his head and his body collapsed onto the floor. Behind her, she could see Chester still cuffed to the bars, his head bowed and eyes closed, a gun rested in his free hand. He must have pulled it from his holster.

In front of her, Magnate was standing with a tiny handgun raised. He was breathing heavily and glaring at Seth's body. He lowered the gun and Trina glared up at him. "Just leave," Magnate muttered under his breath. He began walking to the jail cell, closing his eyes and shaking his head. "Just go away…I don't care anymore…"

"What happened?" She picked herself up, trembling in fear as she studied Seth's body. She heard Magnate close the cell door behind him, locking both himself and Chester in the cell. She looked over her shoulder, her eyebrows meshed together as she studied the two men. "Why? Why are you giving up? Why did you shoot him?"

"Just go. Let the police come….I don't care anymore…"

"She's in here!" Someone exclaimed. She looked to the door, gasping out as Sinjin and Timmy ran inside with Vicky close behind. Sinjin threw his arms around her and she released her emotions for him. Timmy was staring at Chester in shock. Vicky rubbed her back and turned a cold glare to the men in the cell.

"It's going to be okay," Sinjin whispered, "We found you. I'll always find you…" Tears ran down her cheeks as she hugged him. Ginger came rushing in and began licking her lower right leg.

"They wanted to kill me…and I…I fought them."

"That's good, I'm glad you're safe Trina."

"I couldn't stop thinking about Tori…about the others back home…" The group led her outside, where the sunlight stabbed her eyes. Sinjin slowly nodded and let her lean back against the wall of the building, she was hugging his coat close to her body. He'd given it to her at some point of time when they arrived. Timmy and Vicky were calling the rest of the police to the area, which was hard since Chester was supposed to be the top guy.

"All that matters is you're safe, Trina."

"But Seth was right, does it matter?" He raised an eyebrow as she buried her face into her hands. "I left them. You may say they care, but I wish…I just wish so badly that I could hear that from _them!_ How am I supposed to believe they care about me when they don't even make an effort to say it!"

"Trina…"

"I know you would never lie to me, Sinjin. I just…I can't stand wishing they would be the ones to tell me." He slowly nodded his head, closing his eyes as a police car drove up. AJ stepped out of it and hurried over, asking Timmy what happened and why they were saying Chester was involved.

This was all too much for Trina, she simply didn't want to have to deal with this anymore. "That'll never happen though, will it Sinjin?" She spoke slowly, trying to regain whatever calmness she had inside of her. "They don't care about me. They never did. All I was, was a joke to them. There's no chance in hell they'd ever say anything to me. It's too much to wish for. To wish they were here, telling me they were wrong." Even Cosmo and Wanda couldn't grant that wish. There was no one in the world to grant it, not even the great fairy Jorgen.

"I can make that happen." Sinjin smirked proudly and the others did a double take. She scoffed at him and hugged his jacket tighter around her body. "All I have to do is tell Tori you're here, say nothing more, and she will come. With her friends, because I do know how they feel."

"Impossible, Sinjin..." She pointed to Cosmo and Wanda, both in human form as usual. "Even those two couldn't make that happen." Sinjin raised an eyebrow and looked to the duo.

"Ok-ay…I'm not sure what that has to do with anything."

"Sorry, I just…I can't think right now, Sinjin." She closed her eyes and put her head to his shoulder, weeping in silence. "Do you think I could have something to drink? Your hot chocolate, maybe?"

"I thought you'd never ask…Let's get you to my place." AJ looked over with a subtle frown.

"I need to get a statement from her, I think," AJ replied. "I'm used to Chester doing all this, but…damn, we've never had anything like this happen…"

"Can she give her statement later? After she rests?"

"Yes."

"Thank you." He looked to Timmy and Vicky, giving them a subtle nod. "You two want to come by?"

"I need to make sure my sister's safe," Vicky responded. Clearly she wasn't going to let Trina out of her sight. Trina was grateful for this, but also a little bit concerned at the same time. She couldn't deal with all the nervousness going on. She just simply wanted this day to be over.

"You guys go on ahead," Timmy replied. He was clearly visibly shaken by the tragedy he was seeing. Was this his first real tragedy? He'd never even known Chester was capable of being involved in something so terrifying. "I'll swing by the hotel room later…" He clenched his eyes and covered them with his hand, "I need to think, I need answers."

Trina reached out to pat him on the shoulder, "It'll be all right Timmy." He met her eyes and smiled sadly. "Thanks for coming after me with them. I'm glad."

At the hotel room, Vicky was helping her to wash up. Her sister was very protective and making sure she was all right. She closed her eyes as she sank in the bathtub, letting the warm jets sooth her pained body. Vicky was sitting on the closed toilet, her arms crossed and her eyes glaring at the door.

Outside, they could hear Sinjin talking on the phone. She knew he was trying to subtly hint to Tori that she was in Dimmsdale. He wasn't a magician, there was no way he was getting Tori or her friends over. He wasn't telling them that she wanted to hear anything from them, he wasn't going to tell them a thing of what she wanted, because that would be prompting.

"There's no way he's getting them here, Vicky."

"Do you really want that?" Trina closed her eyes and moved her head against the edge of the tub, sighing heavily.

"In there…I was terrified. Seth had his gun at my head, telling me I was worthless, that no one would care. I thought of what Sinjin told me and I just…no, I couldn't listen to Seth. I wished I knew the things Sinjin told me were right, that Tori and her friends were really true, were really sorry, and I wish I could hear it from _them_…"

"You're growing, Trina. This is about you, and you're working on you. I'm proud, I wouldn't have it any other way, Sis. You're not weak, you're not pathetic, you're strong. In fact, what did you tell Seth in those final moments?"

She slowly opened her eyes, gazing down at her body beneath the water. She let out a light sob as she recalled her ordeal. She was happy not being a damsel, happy that she fought and managed to get herself out of there. Even still, she nearly died. "I told him…he didn't control me anymore. He's just a part of the past, I'm not letting him mess with me any longer…"

"That's good. It shows too…" Vicky reached over and gave Trina's hand a light squeeze. "I'm proud of you, Trina." They heard Sinjin call out to them, saying the hot chocolate and the coffee was done cooking. Vicky glanced up, smiling slightly. "Want me to grab you a cup or are you getting out?"

"Grab me a cup, I want to soak a little longer…"

"All right. I think I'm going to get myself some of that coffee of his. Seriously, that stuff is awesome." She laughed lightly as her sister left the bathroom. She splashed her hands into the water and closed her eyes, breathing in slowly. All she could do from this point was just to keep trying to move ahead. Nothing more, nothing less.

* * *

Seth will no longer be an issue. What were your thoughts when he died? Perhaps cheers? Well with that being said, be prepared, further conflict to come as Tori and her friends will soon arrive in Dimmsdale. Tell me your thoughts of this chapter!


	22. Explosion of Anger

The Runaway

Disclaimer: Don't own Victorious, or FOP

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 22 (Explosion of Anger)

A week later, the second day of January was perhaps the coldest day of this new year. Trina huddled in between Sinjin and Vicky on the couch. The two seemed a bit uncomfortable considering she commissioned them to sit against her. "I need to figure out why my heater's messed up," Vicky muttered. They were trying to watch the news and were sipping on Sinjin's hot chocolate. It was the reason he was over, as they called him for something hot to drink while sitting in the freezing house.

Sinjin pointed towards Ginger and lifted his eyebrows. "Is it just me or is Ginger the only one _not_ freezing?" The dog was laying down in between the glass coffee table and the television. The puppy had her eyes closed, her body was slowly expanding in and out, a sign of soft breathing. Upon hearing her name, her eyes opened and her ears perked up. "Dogs just have excellent insulation with all that fur, I suppose."

Trina shook her head, laughing slightly as she sipped her drink. "For the first time, this jacket isn't keeping me _warm_." Sinjin laughed as she eyed the coat she was wearing. "I'm tempted to ask Ginger if she can lend me her fur. Though I don't think she'd understand what I was asking, nor is it possible to do."

"I don't know, dogs have a great sense for the human emotion." Ginger slowly got up, stretching before walking over and sitting down on top of Trina's feet. Vicky's eyebrows rose and Sinjin laughed. Trina wiggled her toes and smiled down at the dog. "Told you."

"Such a sweet puppy." She looked to the television and sighed, despairing over going from the puppy to the local news. It was a shame, what happened a week ago was probably the worst thing that ever happened in Dimmsdale. Although, it was debatable considering some of the adventures Timmy had gone through when he was a child. Yet, she couldn't remember there ever being something so bad as a cop gone bad, a former mogul trying to commit murder, and some deranged guy from another town coming helping to fuel the deal. Currently, the story was more about Chester than what happened to her, something that she was eternally grateful for. "Must be terrible to hear…how someone who used to be decent became so violent…"

The news was making Chester to be a drunk, which he was. Lazy, another check. To top it all off, Trina had willingly given her statement to AJ and other officers, this included Chester's attack on her in the alleyway. Things were looking rather bleak for both Chester and Magnate now. Their only redeeming factor was they shot the real villain and gave themselves up essentially.

_"I'll never forget the look on Seth's face…that man…"_ He represented everything that was bad about her past. All the hate, all the insults, all the tears and strong negative emotions. She could feel herself changing, becoming better, and in a sense, slowly beginning to move on with her life now. With that being said, other than emotionally, Seth could no longer hurt her or anyone else ever again. Still, she felt uncomfortable as she was freezing.

"I really need to clean up," Vicky muttered while glaring at the glass table. Trina felt a bit guilty for her sister's 'misfortune'. In the past week, Vicky had been so preoccupied with everything that happened that she'd neglected her chores. "The windows are starting to smudge, there's dust collecting on everything. My god! It's going to take a cleaning crew to get done with this house!"

"It's not that dirty."

"You don't understand, while I try to keep my house clean as each day passes, doing small chores…I don't do the 'major' cleaning but the end of each month. Every month I give the house a thorough going over, and I didn't do it this last month!" Sinjin looked over with a subtle smirk, teasing Trina with his gaze.

"You didn't tell me your sister was such a neat freak." Trina laughed and Vicky slowly glared at him. Vicky had been upset over letting him come over in the first place without having cleaned up her house. The two sisters were _going_ to start working on the house but gave up the thought of doing that when they realized the heater had broken down. Rather than clean in the cold, they went ahead and called Sinjin over. They were both equally irritable, so it was good that today was going to be spent just relaxing. Nothing bad was going to happen today. No going to the park, no running into Trixie, no dealing with freaks like Chester or Magnate.

Sinjin's cell phone went off, but it was on the TV stand. He set it over there when he had to retrieve Ginger's ball, which rolled behind it. The trio didn't hear it as it only chimed once, a signal of receiving a text message. Trina thought she saw its light flash, but shrugged it off as nothing. "Sinjin, I think your phone might have gone off." He waved it off as well and shrugged his shoulders. "Concerned at all?"

"Nah, it's probably not important. Let's just rest." True, she didn't want to lose half the body heat she was receiving by him getting up to check his phone. It could simply be an alert. "Anyway the news is making all of us a bit agitated, don't you think? Can we like…change the channel?"

"Good idea." Trina grabbed the remote and began sifting through the channels on the television. Mainly what she was seeing were soap operas. Vicky's cable company was set up to the fact that all the soap opera channels and lifetime type channels went first after the news. "Okay, these are beginning to piss me off. Do you even watch any soap operas?"

Vicky shook her head, "Not at all." She landed on one where someone was being horrendously beaten, it filled her with disgust. Another dealt with someone undergoing massive verbal attacks, and another was a fight between friends. Her stomach was twisting and it was a struggle to fight down the bile rising to her throat. She felt Sinjin shift uncomfortably and Vicky groaned in her annoyance. "Give me that remote. I bet I can find something with less irritation." Vicky took the remote and turned it onto a Nickelodeon channel.

"You watch Nickelodeon, Vicky?"

"No. The kids at the daycare watch it. Just like they watch this crummy cartoon." The show playing was an old time classic. It was called 'Wizard Guardians'. Trina loved this show growing up, but for some reason Vicky hated it. It dealt with a pair of wizards sentenced to watch over this child and give her anything she desires so she can have a happy life. It went without saying that this girl had a mean spirited babysitter and parents that barely even existed. "You used to like this, right?"

"Yeah, when I was a kid…but I don't care, leave it on if you like. How cold is it out there? Anyone know?"

"Below freezing," Sinjin muttered. "It's below freezing and somehow the dog still seems perfectly content." His phone lit up once more and the trio slowly looked at it. Trina felt a chill and Sinjin tilted his head. "I'm halfway debating whether or not to get that."

"Why bother? If it's important, the person will call, right? It's freezing, we have no heater, and right now the only thing warm is each other."

"True…"

Vicky rolled her head back, groaning mildly. "I called the heating company an hour ago, when is the guy going to get here? Sinjin wouldn't happen to know anything about heaters would he?" Sinjin laughed lightly and shook his head. It was a shock that he didn't know how to fix a heater, Trina thought that big brain of his could figure anything out. "Then we're stuck waiting on the heating guy…great…"

"Relax sis…" Trina lifted a hand up and smiled vaguely as both Sinjin and Vicky glared at her. She understood their frustration, even she was frustrated. She had to go to the restroom, but was afraid if she did, the urine stream would freeze in place! "We'll just wait it out, the heater guy will come save the day, right? As long as we stay where we're at, nothing else bad can possibly happen today."

"Sure…"

Ginger perked her ears up and lifted her head, gazing at the door. Trina peered down with a subtle smile, pondering what was catching the pup's attention. "Maybe the heating guy's here already." Ginger began wagging her tail and barking at the door as the bell chimed. Vicky moaned once again, still griping about her unclean home.

None of them wanted to get up, for fear of the frigid air, so rather than walk to the door, Vicky simply called the person in. "Come in, it's unlocked!" Ginger kept barking, stirring up the annoyance in the room. "I just want the dog to stop barking!" Sinjin whistled and managed to get Ginger to stop barking. Trina looked over to the door, watching as it started to open.

Much to her disdain, the person walking in was _not_ the heating guy. Her eyes widened as Tori, Andre, Beck, Jade, Robbie, and Cat all made their way inside. Vicky and Sinjin looked over with wide eyes. Sinjin's expression turned to annoyance as Trina's heart stopped beating. "When did you guys get here?" Sinjin asked.

Tori's face was red and puffy, streaked with tears. Every one of her friends looked like they'd lost a parent or a pet. A week ago, Trina may have said she wished they were there, but in this very moment, they were the _last_ people she wanted to see! "W-We texted you…" Sinjin twitched and Trina slowly looked to the phone, still stammering. She was receiving mental flashbacks upon seeing them, remembering the very last time she saw _any _of them. Frustrations were high, emotions were rampant, and she had not been given the proper time to prepare! "W-We said we landed about an hour ago…thought we'd look around for Vicky, cause maybe we'd find Tri…then texted you once we got here…"

"You couldn't have _called_ when you landed?!"

"Sorry Sinjin…it's just…" Trina felt her sister's gaze on her and closed her eyes. She was quickly forgetting the temperature in the room. It was more like a furnace now, and everything she wanted to tell them over the months was rushing up like a volcano about to blow. "We wanted to see Trina. You said she was here, we wanted to see her. I…Trina, please-"

"N-No. Not _now!"_ Trina threw her hand into her hair and stood up as Ginger hopped off from her feet and jumped up onto the couch in her place. She glared at Tori, glared at the friends, all of whom were now beginning to shrink. "This is the _worst_ time to show your faces! The heater broke down-" She pointed to the television, still thinking of the news story. "-I just got attacked again by Seth last week, so I'm _still _recovering. Vicky's house isn't even _clean_, and you have the _nerve_ to show your faces without first calling?! Or wait, I forget, you and your friends don't look at me as a human being, so of course, you wouldn't give me the _decency_ of calling us first!"

Sinjin and Vicky exchanged glances and shrugged their shoulders as Tori's friends looked over, possibly for help. Fresh tears gathered in Tori's eyes as she stepped forward. "Please Trina, just hear me out. Don't yell, I mean-"

"Don't _yell?_ After everything you guys put me through the first thing you tell me is don't _yell?! _You're crazy! All of you are!" The anger poured through her veins as her face began to turn red and her eyes lit up like fireworks. Tori bowed her head. Sinjin crossed his arms and breathed out heavily, watching the steam that came from his lips. Vicky merely flipped through the channels, using the television as a distraction for herself. Trina put her thumb to her chest, her voice raising as she took another step forward. "I was perfectly fine never having to see any of you again. You know why? Because I didn't have to deal with the _hell_ that you put me through! Even you, Tori, couldn't fucking stand up for me to your friends. Instead what do you do? You agree with every goddamn thing they said about me!"

"Tri-"

"Oh I'm not done yet, Tor! And don't expect any help from Sinjin or Vicky right now, any of you, because they're just as fucking pissed off with you guys as I am!" She couldn't stop, the pain was far too much. "You know, it's funny, I _thought maybe_ I could be ready to see you guys again, but the minute you walked in that door everything came rushing back!"

"Just hear us out," Andre started. He was clearly the only one brave enough to talk. Trina threw her head back, scoffing loudly.

"No! You don't get to talk! Sorry! You've done all the talking over the years." She narrowed her eyes and growled as her eyes locked with Tori's. She was getting out of control and she knew it, she couldn't understand why it was so hard to stop. Andre stepped back as the others began to shiver. "If I'm coming across a bitch, I'm sorry, it's just that time of the month for me. Oh wait, no, I'm _not sorry!_ Want to know why? Because each of you have been a bitch to me! Well it's my fucking turn! Why couldn't I ever get a turn, huh? Why?"

Tori lifted her head, starting to say something, but Trina cut her off before she got a chance. She slashed her hand through the air, bitter tears stinging her own cheeks. Her chest ached as her heart began racing as though a heart attack where imminent. "I did my best to tolerate your jeers, your insults, and constant throwing me under the bus…and then that fucking bastard Seth went and attacked me. Just after your screwed up friends, Cat and Robbie sang the break up to me! Without even caring!" Cat threw her hands to her mouth and Robbie tensed. "You know, of all, I would have thought those two actually cared slightly for me, but no! They didn't! None of them did!"

"We're sorry!" Cat screamed out. Tori held her hand up and slowly shook her head. It seemed she understood the yelling. Trina's ferocious glare fell upon Andre and Beck, both of them shrank beneath her as she took another daring step towards them.

"You two, always the 'voice of reason' for the group. But did you ever say anything? No! Andre, you don't care, you never did. Why pretend? Beck, you always stand up to your girlfriend when she insults my little sister!" Jade and Beck exchanged painful expressions, as though nursing a recent wound between the two of them. "But neither of you even bothered to stand up for me when I was insulted. That's fine, I get that, it's not your goddamn place to do it. But the least you could do is not egg it on!"

She pointed to Jade, seeing Trixie's face in her. Instantly the rage inside of her grew like a flash explosion in a house fire. "You! I should understand you because I had to deal with your fucking older sister!" Jade's eyes widened and her hands moved to her mouth. "You were the worst, but even you look like a saint compared to the boyfriend-kissing bitch of a sister you have." A look of pain shot past Jade's eyes as Trina threw her hand down, roaring out angrily. Sinjin and Vicky both looked up at her, but still did not move from their seats. "I have little sympathy and patience for you though. Most of the attacks on me came from you! Worthless! Useless! Annoying! Those were your words to me, the day Seth beat me to shit, you said those words to me. I doubt you even realized what you were doing!"

"I didn't, Trina. Serious!"

"I don't want to hear it right now!" Her gaze flew to Tori. The girl tensed, preparing for what was to come. Trina was beginning to feel bad for yelling at them, she didn't want to yell like this. She honestly didn't mean to be so bitter and hadn't actually planned to be. "You guys have the misfortune of running into me on a very bad day. Tori. You're my sister. Sisters should come first! Even _Vicky_, I'm patching things up with!"

"I know," Tori replied in a weak voice.

"No, no you don't know! I regret everything! I wish I never introduced you to Andre, I wish I never showed you Hollywood Arts! I hate that school! I hate everything about it, except maybe the fact that I met Sinjin there!" Tori gasped out and took a step forward, whimpering as she reached out. "Stay away from me, do not touch me, I do not want to be touched right now. Got it?"

"Y-Yes…"

As Tori lowered her arm, Trina took a slow breath and clenched her eyes shut. Bile was burning her throat and the nausea was tearing away at her insides. "Not once did you stand up for me. No, you only agree whenever they insult me. You used to love me, I used to be your whole world, and then I had to go and fake a voice problem so you'd get into Hollywood Arts." Scoffing she threw her hands into the air and laughed. "Biggest mistake of my life!"

"No! It wasn't, Trina! I promise!"

"Forget it! You know what? Forget all of you! Family should come first, and you know it. Friends? Yeah friends should respect family, not stomp all over them!" Not wishing to be in their presence any longer, she started to leave the house, pushing them aside. She heard Sinjin call out to her, but kept moving. "I need to think, Sinjin!"

Inside, Sinjin slowly shook his head and rose up. Tori and her friends were shaken, gazing at him with nervous eyes. Vicky stood up and started walking towards her broom closet, "Looks like I found my cleaning crew," she muttered. He closed his eyes and grabbed Ginger's leash from the end table beside the couch.

"I'm going to go after her, Vicky."

"All right, I'll put these kids to work until you guys figure out what to do with them." Tensions were just extremely high, and he knew Trina's emotions were already boiling before they got there. He attached Ginger's leash to her collar and walked to the television, grabbing his phone off the stand. When he turned, he saw Tori's tearful gaze.

He stopped to sigh as the group gazed in his direction, he had literally nothing to say to them right now. All he wanted to do was calm Trina down enough so that she _could_ at least _try_ and talk to them in an environment where they could be monitored civilly. He didn't stop Trina from yelling at them only because, in a way, it was what they needed.

"Sometimes it's best to let the anger out first, than to let a bigger explosion happen down the way," he muttered. Cat was still covering her mouth with her hands, weeping as Robbie rubbed her back. Jade was frozen in shock and Beck was shaking his head. Tori put her hands to her chest and stepped forward, whimpering once more.

"I'm sorry we didn't call, we just got overzealous. Sinjin…d-does-does Trina hate us? Hate me?" He smacked his lips and shook his head once more.

"Are we terrible friends?" Andre asked.

"No, I don't believe she hates you. She's hurt, still licking her wounds. I wouldn't be surprised she'd ask the same of you." He hummed, debating whether he could tell them anything more. As he looked down to Ginger, he smiled as his puppy started wagging her tail, eager to go rushing after Trina. "My sister…my sister's always been antisocial during her lifetime. An avid bug collector too." He lifted his gaze to them as they all listened eagerly. "The friends I had, they respected that she was my sister. Maybe she was a little weird, a little different, but the fact was she was my sister. She and I are close yes, we have differences as any sibling does, true, but we stand up for each other. My friends, they treat her like friends too, with respect. Even Vicky here looks out for Trina, to the point some of the people in this town? They lay off Trina and even Vicky, not out of fear, but respect. That is…probably more than you guys can say of your relation to Tori. Do you respect either of the girls? It's something to think about…"

"I guess…"

"Also, you can't expect to just walk back into Trina's life and expect her to forgive you. You're going to have to work at it, show her that you care…that you mean it when you tell her you screwed up. A good place to start? Well…Vicky needs to clean her house up pretty thoroughly."

Tori sighed as Vicky moved back with some cleaning utensils. She cleared her throat and gave Sinjin one last pleading glance. "Can I at least come with you? I need to talk to her…I just…"

"It'll have to wait, Tori. I'm sorry. Besides, I think it'd be best that she deal with all of you at once, and not when she's in a bad mood…" With that, he walked past them and left the house, sighing as the cold air blew a strong gust of wind into his face. He gazed down at his dog and started to smile. "All right Ginger, let's go find Trina. Again."

* * *

The long awaited confrontation, it was just a bad day for Trina and a bad time. But she will sit down and talk with all of them, on her terms. What did you guys think? Sinjin had some good words, words inspired by my friend's example.


	23. Stop the World

The Runaway

Disclaimer: Don't own Victorious, or FOP

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 23 (Stop the World)

"Sorry to bother you again."

"It's no big deal," Mary replied as Trina sat on the Turner's couch. It was a bit of a surprise that Timmy wasn't there, not that she really wanted to see him. She just didn't know where else to go, and it was far too cold outside. Wanda and Cosmo were there as well, it was funny as they appeared to the Turners and had to explain how they knew their son. Wanda was sitting to her right and Mary to her left, Cosmo and John had gone out back to have a beer. "So tell us what's bothering you, sweetie."

"My sister." The women looked at each other, and before they could say anything, she made sure to clarify _which_ sister she was talking about. "My younger sister, Tori. She and her friends showed up out of the blue…and I blew up." Mary hugged her and Wanda pat her back. She wiped her eyes and breathed in slowly, "I know I probably shouldn't have yelled but things have just been going so wrong lately. I lost control and seeing them just opened up so many wounds. They flew all this way to talk to me."

"You were just in a bad state of mind," Wanda commented while slipping her phone into her pocket. Trina raised an eyebrow. Her heart was still raging on and her body was trembling from the prior pain. "It's not your fault. Do talk to them, but when you're better equipped and prepared." She put her head to Wanda's shoulder, appreciating the woman's advice. The last thing she wanted to do was deal with Tori, but now it was not avoidable. She couldn't even try and pretend the girl wasn't there.

"So…Is Timmy having to move back in?" Mary nodded her head and Wanda shrugged. The woman had to explain that she was Timmy's 'guidance counselor' and that was how she and her husband knew Timmy. They were there to talk to the parents about his current living arrangements, and that he was afraid to talk to them about his financial issues. "That's not going to be a big problem is it? I know you and Mr. Turner were always worrying about it."

"It'll be fine," Mary replied. "We've laid out strict ground rules."

"Such as?"

"He's got to let us have our freedom.. If we want to leave for a while, he's got to let it happen and learn to take care of himself. We'll help with his homework, but he's got to focus on it and has little time for other activities until he's done."

"That sounds good. I think he'll manage to be all right, and so will you."

"We think so too." Mary rubbed her shoulder and gave her a warm smile. "You know what? You'll be all right to." She chuckled and closed her eyes. Maybe she would be, maybe she wouldn't be. They didn't understand the fear that had just gone through her. She felt like a terrible person for having screamed out her profanities at Tori and her friends. The doorbell rang and her eyes flew open. Mary glanced over and Wanda got up from the couch.

Trina sat up straight and gazed on as the door opened. Sinjin was standing in the doorway with Ginger, his lips curved into a sweet smile. Her heart skipped a beat as he stepped in and waved. "S-Sinjin? How did you…find me?" Wanda turned around, giving her a small apologetic look.

"I texted him, Trina. I'm sorry. I just…he was looking for you and I guess Timmy told him that I might know where you are."

"It's fine…" She stood up and walked over to Sinjin, falling into his arms and hugging him. Her tears dripped onto his shoulders and her body quivered as he wrapped his arms around her. The two women left the room, allowing them time to themselves. "Sinjin, I…I did a bad thing, didn't I?"

"No you didn't." She gasped softly and lifted her head up, gazing into his eyes with pure confusion. His eyes were full of compassion, love, and a familiar old understanding. His voice was soft, patient. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "You needed to get it all off your chest, and you did, nobody can fault you for it. Even I was upset they just showed up out of the blue like that."

"In their defense, they apparently did text you." She chuckled nervously and Sinjin scoffed. He walked with her to the couch, his hand resting gently on the small of her back. She found it oddly comfortable there, and likely, he didn't even realize it was there. They sat down together and locked gazes with one another. She felt warm with him sitting there, as though it were exactly where he belonged.

"I can't stand text messaging, Trina. You know that. When it's something important like 'hey we just landed in town', I prefer being _called_ with the news."

"Yeah, I guess I get that."

"I'm sorry Trina, I know it's a lot to take in."

"It's so _hard_ seeing them again. I can't stand it." Her head moved to his shoulder. She hugged his waist and closed her eyes, releasing a shaky breath. She felt his fingers moving her hair away from her face and started to smile as Ginger hopped up onto the other side of her and put her head down on her leg. "I thought of all the things I'd say to them if I saw them again, and none of that was right. I didn't want to yell at them like that…I don't want them to think I hate them, I just…I panicked."

"I know, I know. It's definitely hard seeing them again. While you need to talk to them again, it's going to take time, and you should only talk to them when you're ready."

_Ready?_ She didn't know if she'd ever be ready to talk to them. She was still trying to recover from just moments ago. "When it's so hard not to just fly out of control like that, how the hell do you think I can just talk to them?"

"Perhaps in a supervised sitting. There's no way you're going to be able to talk to them calmly at first, nobody can expect that of you. I know I didn't say anything back there, but that was because you _needed_ to say all that you did. That, and, they needed to hear it. They needed to know how the things in the past affected you." She slowly nodded her head and wiped away her tears once more. "If you didn't get it all out, you might have exploded much later on. You can't hold everything inside, Trina, sometimes you need to release it. You don't need to be hurting anymore, Trina."

"Yeah…I don't…" She looked off towards the door and lifted her head up. "So what's going on with them anyway? Where are they now?"

"When I left them, Vicky was commissioning them as her cleaning crew. So I presume she has them doing a bunch of household chores. Trina wanted to come, but I told her no. It's not the right time for her…I wanted you to be able to calm down and relax first."

"I appreciate that. What am I going to say to them, Sinji? What am I supposed to tell them when they ask about everything? I even told them what Seth did to me last week! Without thinking!" He nodded and moved his finger to his chin. She moved her hand to Ginger, running her fingers through the puppy's coat. She was extremely anxious and fearful of what Tori and her friends were probably thinking in this moment.

"Just be honest with them, that's it. They basically have no choice but to talk to you. Besides, it'll be good for you to try and patch things up with them. You know I'll be there for you, supporting you the best I can." She started to smile, bringing her legs up and curling them inwards. He smiled at her and looked past her, pointing to Ginger. "Ginger's here for you too, of course." Trina turned her head and nodded.

"She's the sweetest puppy ever. I love her."

"I know you do, that's why she's here."

"Yay." Ginger started licking her hand, sending a warm spark into her body. She was beginning to steadily relax. She closed her eyes and brought her forehead to Sinjin's shoulder. "Thanks for being here for me. I don't know what I'd do without you." Sinjin smirked at her and moved his arm around her back, giving her a one armed squeeze.

"I think you'd manage to survive without me."

"That's up for debate." She stringing him along, somewhat flirtatiously. She did care for him, she didn't know whether she felt strong feelings for him or not. Granted, she cared very deeply for him, but right now she still didn't want romance. _"Though maybe I could be falling for him…would it be so bad if I did?"_ She cleared away a groggy feeling in her throat and leaned back. "So, you were talking with Timmy?"

"Yeah, I asked him if he might have seen you around. He said he was busy working with a tutor, but that if I texted Wanda, she may know where you were. You two are apparently very close, you and Wanda."

"She's one of my closer friends around here."

"I think that's great. Turns out instinct was right and you were here. Glad I found you." She began to smile once more. She was more than happy that he was there. She wouldn't have it any other way, so it wasn't a problem that Wanda informed him of her whereabouts. "You do know that you don't have to talk to them right away. I think it would be a good idea, but give it some time…rest yourself, and bear in mind that you don't have to forgive them all in one sitting."

"No, I have to move on from my past. I'll talk to them, I can forgive them because they didn't do to me what Seth did…but it's going to take a while…I can't just straight up believe them. You know that. How am I supposed to know they won't go back to shunning me?"

"You can't know that, that's why trust takes a while. Give it time Trina, all things heal. Even your relationship is being patched up with Vicky, so to that same regard, it's going to take some time to patch things up with Tori and her friends."

"Yeah, give it time…you're right." It was on the tip of her tongue, this feeling of hers that she wanted to let out. It was too soon, though, so much so that she questioned whether it was real or not. But how do you _not _fall for a guy that traveled half the country to find you? It spoke volumes of how much she meant to him, and she loved him for it. Not to mention she loved that he was such a great listener, that he was so understanding and compassionate, and that they could just sit and talk for hours about anything. She closed her eyes and breathed out, "I guess no one really knows what the future's like, huh Sinji…"

"Right. That's why we always have to be careful to learn from our past, make the right choices in the present, and hope for the best in the future." He gave her a gentle smile and rubbed her shoulder while turning his gaze towards the window. "Trust me, Trina, everything's going to work out for you soon enough. I'm sure of it."

"I hope you're right. I don't think I could take much more of anything. Be it pain, surprises, fears, you name it…I don't want to deal with it anymore."

* * *

Overall she had a good talk with Mrs. Turner and Sinjin, she may be ready to talk to her sister, and Tori's friends. It'll take some time for the trust to build, but it won't start until they talk. What are your opinions?


	24. Calming the Storm

The Runaway

Disclaimer: Don't own Victorious, or FOP

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 24 (Calming the Storm)

A few hours later, tensions were calming down a bit and Trina was able to relax. She was mentally preparing herself for talking with Tori and her friends. The temperature of the day was getting somewhat warmer, but it was still chilly outside. She and Sinjin decided to stop at a small time diner for lunch. She was watching him stir the diner's coffee and sip it, his reaction was a sour expression. He slowly set his cup on the table and grimaced. "What is it, Sinjin? The fact that it's not your coffee?"

"No," he gagged, "The coffee's not heated! Or at least, I think it went stale and they decided to chuck it in a microwave. The _worst_ death you can give to a pot of coffee. It's like Dr. Frankenstein trying to revive a dead guy." She laughed while Sinjin waved the waitress over. The woman eyed the coffee cup in Sinjin's hand and chuckled as she reached for it. "It was stale, wasn't it, miss?"

"Yes sir, I apologize. It was this morning's pot and we'd not begun making a new pot until after you came in. Let me get you a cup of the fresh coffee." He thanked the woman and she walked off. Trina looked around the diner, they were literally the only people there.

"Makes sense they didn't brew another pot. Look around, they've not had any customers in a while this morning." With how cold it was, she wasn't surprised that nobody chose to come out. Sinjin put his elbow to the top of his booth and looked back over his shoulder, sighing at the empty place. "Usually they're busier, but I guess with the cold weather…who can blame them?"

"Small little malt shop type place like this. You know, this town really reminds me of a step back in time. They even have the jukebox in the corner, I feel like I'm in freakin' Happy Days here." She laughed at his analogy and smirked.

"We could really liven it up here, you know. What are the chances I can get you to dance?" He stared at her for several seconds before laughing. "What? You think you can't dance? I bet I can get you to really cut a rug." His eyebrow arched up, as he opened his mouth, his phone started to ring. He checked it and informed her it was her sister. "Well answer it, Vicky doesn't like being ignored."

"I've been noticing that." He struck the answer button and set it on speaker. Trina was hoping that it was _only_ Vicky and not Tori at the moment. Knowing her elder sister, she wasn't likely to let anyone on her phone. "Hey Vicky, how's it going? You know you have Trina's phone number too, right?" Trina's lips formed a circle and she instinctively glanced at her right pant pocket. She'd turned her phone off a few hours ago and forgot to turn it back on.

"It was off," Vicky replied. "Anyway what are you guys doing? Or did you not find Trina yet?"

"Nope found her. We're sitting at the Dimmsdale Diner, looks like a damn sixties 'jive' malt shop." Vicky chuckled. The waitress brought Sinjin's cup of coffee and he took it, politely thanking her with a nod. "I'm a little surprised, Trina is too, there's nobody here!"

"That is unusual, but you can't help it that it's freezing outside. Anyway, house cleaning's all done. I had Miss little Jade folding clothes and doing the dishes. She kept putting the dishes in the _wrong places!_ Even Trina got it right the _first_ time!" Trina covered her mouth, hearing Jade in the background apologizing. "Had that pretty boy Beck get up on the roof to fix the storm gutters. The guy fell into a tree. Wasn't all bad, Tori made the windows look nice, with a smudge here and there. Had to show her how to clean without smearing, but all in all, we Vega sisters know how to clean." Tori cheered in the background and Trina started to smile with pride. Sinjin's eyes flicked to her and his lip tucked into a neat smirk.

"So where are you guys at now?"

"I have them doing laps around the park. They can't keep up so we're _walking_ now. Ask Trina, she knows how pissed I get about that sort of thing." Trina nodded her head and Sinjin whistled. "They've been annoying me with questions that I haven't been answering, like, 'what has Trina been up to'. I figure Trina can answer stuff herself." Vicky went silent for about a minute, then returned to the phone with a suggestion. "We might swing by the Diner later if that's all right, give them some business. Tori just now suggested it."

"May as well," Trina remarked. "I've been preparing myself for them. I know I have to talk to them, so yeah." She didn't mean to sound unenthusiastic, she just didn't know what to say. "Just give us some time." Her eyes turned towards the jukebox. "I need to loosen up a bit." Sinjin followed her gaze and sighed. She looked to the round corner booth near the jukebox. "We'll be moving to the corner booth over there, Sinjin…" He glanced to it and nodded. "Let's tell the waitress."

After a few minutes, the call ended and Sinjin set his phone on the table, "So you're really going to talk with them?"

"Yeah…" She had to do it, now or never. She was amped up for it now, and that might vanish after a while if she wasn't careful. She wished Ginger was with them, but they had to take her back to the hotel room since she couldn't go into any of the buildings and Sinjin wasn't about to leave her out in the cold. "You're here, Vicky will be here, it's a public place…what could happen?" She flipped her hair over her shoulder and closed her eyes.

"Trixie's mom could own the diner?" He smirked teasingly and Trina groaned, dismissing the thought with a wave of her hand.

"Let's _not_ joke about such awful things, shall we? Especially considering her little sister's in town…and I wonder if Trixie even knows."

"Doubtful. You know Jade's never spoken about her? Not once have I heard her say anything about her elder sister." Strange as it was, she could see why that might be. Who would want to talk about someone that made their life so miserable? Yet she was certain the situation was different than Vicky. "She is still Jade's older sister, so I wouldn't be surprised if the woman _does_ care for Jade, but has a strange way of showing it."

"Such as?"

"Well Jade can tell you herself, I'm no gossip, but let's just say there are probably some instances that would make Trixie very protective of Jade, I'm sure." She raised an eyebrow and hummed, what was it that he was referring to? Was Jade pregnant by any chance?

"You don't mean to say Jade is pregnant, do you?"

"She and Beck have a child on the way. Let her bring that up, all right?" She nodded and glanced back at the jukebox. Thinking of loosening up, she moved from her booth and walked over. Sinjin raised an eyebrow at her. "What are you doing?"

"Livening up the diner. It's so desolate that it's scary." She flipped through the pages of the gold jukebox, smiling as she stopped over Joan Jett. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a coin for the player. She was going to sing and dance along with Joan Jett's _I love Rock and Roll_. She hit play and spun around wagging her eyebrows at Sinjin while beginning to clap her hands. _"__Saw him dancin' there by the record machine, knew he must a been about seventeen…__"_

"Really Trina? _This_ song?" She grinned, her eyes brightening as she slowly walked towards him. This was their song, close to about four years since they met at the school cafeteria. This was playing on his laptop computer. They were sixteen years old and felt an instant attraction. _"__The beat was goin' strong, playin' my favorite song. An I could tell it wouldn't be long till he was with me, yeah me! Singin'-"_

She pumped her fist in the air and bounced several times, _"__I love rock and roll! So put another dime in the jukebox, baby!"_ She clapped her hands and jumped up on the table, kicking back as she pumped her fists in the air again. The waitress watched, holding the tray of food and smiling lightly. Trina couldn't help but to let loose, it was relaxing as it was fun! _"__I love rock and roll, so come and take your time and dance with me!"_

Sinjin got up from the booth and smirked as she hopped down from the table and put her fingertips to his shoulders. She shook her hips, flipped her hair, and slipped her fingers down his arms. _"He smiled so I got up and asked for his mane. That don't matter, he said, cause it's all the same. Said can I take you home, where we can be alone. An' next we were movin' on, he was with me, yeah me!" _The doors of the diner opened, but Trina was too into the song to notice. She heard gasps and claps. _"Next we were movin' on, he was with me! Yeah me, singin…" _ She spun around, flipping her hair back once more and pumping her fist in the air again. Sinjin laughed and joined in. _"I love rock and roll, so put another dime in the jukebox baby! I love rock and roll, so come an' take your time an' dance with me!"_

As the song went on and the dance continued, more and more people were flocking into the diner. When it ended, it was the first she'd noticed the crowd. She laughed nervously and started to pull her hair back from her face. She was breathless. "You just love that song don't you, Trina?"

"What can I say? I love rock and roll?" She flashed a sheepish grin and signaled the waitress to move the food to the corner booth. "Though I'll still tease you for being a sixteen year old boy listening to Joan Jett."

"I was a sixteen year old boy who thought Joan Jett was hot. What are you gonna do about it?" He moved into the back of the corner booth with her and sat to her right. "I can see why you like this town though."

"No one here really knows me. After all these months I just do my own thing. Tori's the only one of us sisters with the gifted singing voice, but at least I _can_ sing if I want to and practice hard enough. Still those fast paced songs are difficult, right now, my voice is strained trying to keep up."

"I imagine so." He moved his hand out over the table, "Look though you've filled the place up." People had come in and were still coming in, and of course, the jukebox was still going. Currently a song was playing called _Missing You_ by Diana Ross. "Pretty sure your little sister just started that song."

"Yeah she did," Vicky said while piling in left of her. "I'm here with the Calvary, we came in just as you started singing." Trina folded her arms on the top of the table, sighing as the waitress set their food down in front of them and walked off after ensuring they needed nothing else. Sinjin had a patty melt, toast, and his coffee. Trina went a chicken deluxe salad. Vicky left her order with the waitress, asking for the avocado salad. "In fact, I think they're all at the front counter, staring at us with their scared shitless expressions."

"Huh?" She looked to the front, and indeed Tori's friends were leaning against the counter with their hands firmly gripping the edge. Vicky motioned them over, but before they made any movements, Tori walked to the table. Trina grabbed her fork and stabbed her salad, glancing up to her sister's timid eyes.

"H-Hey Trina…" Trina closed her eyes and moved her bite of food to her mouth, chewing slowly and swallowing. "That was great singing, and dancing too, we were surprised." She stifled a scoff, it was almost hard to believe the words coming from Tori's mouth. For once, _praise?_ If only she had a tape recorder, she'd have Tori repeat those words. Wouldn't she have every right to do so?

"Hey Tori. Relax…Go tell your friends to come sit down, I'm not going to bite…While Vicky's debatable-"

"Hey!" Vicky smacked her shoulder and Trina laughed. Tori started to smile and her body began to loosen up.

"None of us are going to bite. I'm calmer now…"

* * *

What are your thoughts and observations?


	25. At Arm's Length

The Runaway

Disclaimer: Don't own Victorious, or FOP

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 25 (At Arm's Reach)

The corner booth was shaped like a horseshoe, and thankfully, big enough to fit everybody. Trina was extremely comfortable and grateful that Sinjin and Vicky were the ones sitting on her sides. To the left, opposite Vicky, sat Tori, Andre, and Cat. On the right were Robbie, Jade, and Beck. No one spoke much until the waitress brought out their food. It was understandable, even Trina didn't know what to say. They were all eating slowly, savoring their food as if it were their last meal.

"I know I yelled at you guys earlier, I was upset and in a bad place emotionally." The group looked at her, not daring to move. "I'm sorry. You came all this way to talk to me, I guess, and it's best that I at least hear you out. It's been a very long time, and I guess…maybe it's time for me to stop running away." She set her fork down as Tori started to smile, then lifted her finger. "But don't think for a _second-_" Tori frowned and her friends flinched. "-Not a second does that mean I'm going to just automatically forgive and forget everything that you've done to hurt me. It's just me moving on…that's all…if you want me to trust you, if you want any of that stuff, you're going to have to show it. Because I'm not buying what you're selling unless what you're selling is quality, got that? Don't sell me lies, because I'm through with your lies. You lie to me, then you don't get another chance."

"We understand," Tori replied.

"Good, because like I said, I know Jade's sister." She pointed to Jade and narrowed her eyes as Sinjin chuckled and Vicky shook her head. "Trixie and I have been on bad terms since childhood. Kind of been fighting over this guy's attention ever since then. That's all over now, but either way, I can just as easily let her know Jade's in town. We'll see what becomes of that."

Jade tensed and Beck rubbed his forehead. It was Jade she was most skeptical of, therefore she needed to have that wildcard in case Jade decided to screw her over again. Tori slowly nodded her head and shifted her fork into her own salad. "We just want to be honest, Trina. We really do miss you." Trina saw Sinjin look at the salads in front of the Vega sisters, perhaps it couldn't be any clearer that they were related?

"I don't believe you." Tori frowned and Trina poked her fork into the air. "Here's why. And we're going to be mature and civil about this…and yes, that includes you, Jade." Jade nodded and Sinjin rolled his eyes. "Maybe you've missed me, but if it takes me being gone for you to realize or remember how important I was to you, then maybe you don't really miss me. Your friends, they don't miss me. Every word that came out of their mouth about me was an insult, an attack. Don't speak for them, they'll speak for themselves, Tori."

Vicky swallowed her salad and cleared her throat, "I think what Trina's trying to say here…and this is for you friends, not Tori…" The group all turned to Vicky, and Tori straightened herself in her seat. "Is it's a matter of respect. You don't come across respecting Tori. It's like Sinjin said earlier, you respect a friend, you respect their family too. Tori, you should understand that. Don't let people hurt your sister, and when they do, you tell them straight up to cease and desist or it's over." Tori started to nod her head and the friends all grabbed a bite of their meals. They had mixes between sandwiches, breakfast items, and salads. "When Trina came into town after all these years…sure we didn't get along in the past, but she was still my sister. I didn't let people do things against her. The crazed teacher in this town put her in the line of danger, I dealt with him, because she's my _sister_. Sisters come _first_ above all else…even Trixie Tang knows that."

"How would you know?" Jade asked in a quiet voice. Vicky raised an eyebrow and she quickly perked her head up. "Sorry! I didn't mean-"

"You're fine to ask questions. I know that because we all grew up with her in this town. Me, Trina, and even Trina's ex. More than Trina, I've grown up with that woman. She's a cold hearted, stony bitch to everyone she comes across. Sorry to speak up of her like that, but it's how she comes across. She's told me in the past that yes, she was cruel to even you, her little sister, but if _anyone_ were to _ever_ threaten you, she would be the first person to react. So yes, Trixie knows that no matter what, being a sister comes above anything else."

"Blood is forever," Trina added. "Friends? They can come and go, but you're always going to have family. Unless of course, you push family away from you. If you think I ran off for what Seth did to me, then no, you're wrong. What he did to me _triggered_ me running off. If you think I ran because of what Jade said, no, not exactly. I left because it was a build up, an accumulation of things that were just making me unhappy. Making me feel…worthless. My own sister wouldn't even look up from her card game when I needed her most." Tori ran her hand through her hair, frowning as she gazed down at her salad.

"I felt so terrible after that…we all saw what you looked like just before you ran out the door. We tried to find you…" Silence hovered over the group. Tori stared at Trina for the longest time before looking over to Sinjin. "We never knew you were such good friends with Sinjin…I mean, we might have suspected, but…" Tori rubbed her forehead and closed her eyes. "How long has he been here?"

"Couple weeks. He followed Vicky up here after apparently seeing her in LA. Beating up Seth…" She shot Vicky a stern look and the woman merely smiled back, closing her eyes and lifting her eyebrows. Trina had_ not_ been happy with Vicky when she learned about that. She was grateful for her sister looking out for her, but it had been _dangerous_ to do. The one good thing was it made Sinjin see her and question her. "We've been friends since we were about fifteen or sixteen. He's the one I would go running to after well…you know." She wiped her mouth with her napkin and gently folded it over. "He constantly teases me about making him the 'shoulder friend'. He's so much more than that to me, though…" Sinjin smiled at her and she paused, thinking over what just came out of her mouth. She closed her eyes and set the napkin flat on the table. "Right…okay…I'm just trying to work on myself right now. My emotions are out of control, I'm working on my relationship with my sister…Vicky…etcetera etcetera."

"I guess Sinjin's told you how things have been then," Andre remarked. "Everyone's been a mess, and we've all felt guilty. I know we've been bad, and both Sinjin and your sister are right, we should have had more respect for you and Tori.

"We've played that scene over and over in our heads," Beck began. His arms were around his plate and his eyes were gazing down at his thumbs. When Trina got a good look at him, she figured Sinjin was right, Beck really had let himself go. His hair was a bit shorter, flatter, and he didn't seem so 'dark' anymore. "Each of us have said we would have liked for that night to have gone differently-"

"-Very differently," Robbie added. Beck looked to him, then back to his hands, slowly nodding his head. Trina waited as Beck lifted his eyes to her, meeting her gaze with a small frown.

"The last thing you want to hear from us is probably 'we're sorry', but we are. For everything. And you know…" He unfolded his hands and motioned to Tori. "Tori gave us all a lashing the very next day. Not that it much matters, because yeah, she should never have let us complain about you so much…nor should we have done it so much. For months you weren't found, Sinjin left sometime around May or June, and we all thought you were…you were dead…that's when it really went to hell and back." Trina hummed, leaning back in her seat and tapping her nails on the table.

"I heard a lot of drama happened…I'm a little surprised, actually, that Jade and Tori are friends right now. Not that I think you shouldn't be, I just, I remember hearing some violent screaming between the two of you just as I was leaving." Tori inhaled and Jade dropped her head.

"Yeah it got bad." Jade lifted her gaze up and cleared her throat. "We _weren't_ friends for the longest time after that. Beck and I broke up in April because it was around then that it was assumed by the police that you were dead." Trina's heart sank and she looked to Sinjin, who merely frowned and nodded his confirmation. She still didn't like thinking of herself as having been presumed dead, but April was a bit harsh. "Sinjin didn't talk much about it, but when he said he was leaving to look for you, we figured he must think you're still alive. Tori and her dad thought you were still alive, so we were supportive. Though, she still refused to talk to me, and it was hard enough to get her talking to any of us…"

"So what happened? How'd you two become friends again?" Jade looked to Beck, putting her hand to her stomach and sighing as Tori lifted her shoulders. Did this pregnancy Sinjin told her about have something to do with the reinstatement of their friendship?

"Well, we're still working on repairing that...Beck and I, we uh, about a month after we broke up we got together for an argument…you know how they say angry sex makes you feel better?" Vicky moaned and Trina's jaw dropped open. Jade breathed in slowly and clenched her eyes shut. "I haven't told anyone but my dad, and that was just a week ago. I told Tori after I found out…because she was always good at comforting…and she helped. She got Beck and me back together after I told him the truth about being pregnant."

"And you told _no one?"_

"How am I supposed to? I told Daddy because we all wanted to come up here." They _wanted _to come? She did a double take at Jade's words and stopped herself from interrupting so the girl could continue on. "I'm seven months pregnant, I've been good at hiding it…when Tori said you were here, we_ all_ decided individually that we wanted to talk to you." The others confirmed. Trina was beginning to feel great, empowered that the group hadn't actually been forced or dragged, they came on their own whim! "Well, I knew Trixie lived up here with Mom, so I told Dad. He got mad that I didn't tell him before, and in so, he said I was to tell Mom and Trixie…I'm a little scared of how they're going to react."

"With how Trixie treats _me_, I can only imagine how she treated _you_ growing up."

"It was bad. I mean Trina, I have problems, okay?" Trina nodded her head as Jade closed her eyes. She saw a tear straying from the girl's eyes. "I have a lot of issues, I have hormonal imbalances that came _before_ pregnancy. The reason I am how I am, Trina? There's no excuse for the things I've said to you, or to anyone, but that doesn't mean I act that way just because I want to. Beck was always the guy that saw through that."

"You were always beat down by your sister," Sinjin pondered. Jade looked over and Beck nodded his head. Trina wasn't shocked that Sinjin could see it, maybe Jade wasn't as different from her than she thought. "Living in the shadow of someone so perfect, so 'everything I do is right', and possibly being told you're the worst…treated like shit…" Tori flinched and Jade's voice lowered.

"I never really saw it so simply, but I guess Beck always thought like that too. You're right, and I didn't know, I guess Trina's in the same basic boat." Trina crossed her arms and leaned back. She exhaled and closed her eyes down. "Trixie's always been this crazy bitch to everyone. She's still my sister, so I wouldn't let anyone else talk bad about her, which sounds hypocritical-"

"It is," Trina remarked. Jade lifted her eyebrows and took a deep breath.

"She could get whatever she wanted. She could blackmail me with lies of things that I've never done. She'd make me clean her room, do her chores, follow her around so she didn't have to do _anything_…she could do no wrong…perfect in every way." Trina slowly looked to Tori and shook her head.

"I know, I went to school with her. She was just like that in elementary. Domineering, controlling, and to this day I _still_ don't know whatever happened to that blonde cheerleader friend of hers that was always following her around."

"Veronica? Trixie used to talk about her all the time. A few years ago, she was in this terrible accident…she passed away." Trina put her hand to her chest and Vicky lifted her eyebrows, astonished by the news. "Trixie seemed to get worse after that. Mom and Dad separated a long time ago, Dad and I moved to LA to get away from them…Trixie still calls me from time to time wanting to know why I don't come see her, but there are many reasons…but she's the reason I am so vicious, and I'm sorry Trina. I never even knew you two knew each other…if I knew that…if I knew that, things would have been _different_."

"It's partly my fault," Tori replied. "I never told any of you about Dimmsdale." Tori's friends looked to her and Trina raised an eyebrow, she was a little startled that Tori wouldn't have talked about the town she was born in. "I mean sure I told you I was here and we moved to LA about thirteen years ago, which Vicky stayed here for whatever reasons…" Vicky shrugged her shoulders and Trina gave her a pitiful look, she was still sore over hearing about her mom's affair. She didn't want to taint Tori with that right now, so she wasn't going to bring it up. "There are a lot of things I haven't talked to you guys about…Trina's right, Hollywood Arts changed me. It changed me _so much_, but she's wrong about another thing."

"And _what_, pray tell, is that?" She asked with an underlying tone of bitterness. Tori looked to her with sad, but hopeful eyes.

"It wasn't a mistake. It was the best thing that you've ever done for me, Trina. I never thanked you for it. I mean, I never knew you actually threw the song on purpose…" It had been about a month or two later that she even revealed to Tori that she faked everything. She wanted Tori to have her chance, she wanted Tori to be able to get into that school, and therefore, _she_ wanted Tori to shine. "I loved that you did that for _me."_ Tori put her hands to her chest and smiled through fresh tears. "I met amazing people because of you. I guess popularity went to my head, and for that, I am _extremely_ sorry."

"Yeah…"

"And no, you're right, I took advantage." Tori looked to her friends and motioned her hand at them. "I should have told you all from the beginning that you couldn't talk to my sister like that, that you couldn't treat her that way." Trina felt the tears welling up in her eyes and felt Sinjin pat her on the top of her leg. She looked over at him and caught him smiling at her, warming her heart. Tori looked to her and breathed out slowly, speaking with a shaky voice. "I was in Hollywood Arts because of you, Trina. I forgot that. I let it get the best of me when it shouldn't, but I am where I am because _you_ pushed me there. I love you Trina, I've always loved you. You were the most important person in my life even before we moved to LA, and I know…I've clung to you. I always needed you, I always needed to be _around_ you. Then when I went to HA, for the first time, I didn't have anxiety whenever we were apart! I let it get to my head, I let my friends walk over the single most important person in my life, and for that…I am terribly sorry. I know I must be a terrible sister to you."

"You're not a terrible sister, Tori. You just have a lot of growing up to do."

"I know. I, all of us, want you to give us another chance. We don't know exactly what Seth did to you, and we don't know what has happened to you in the past several months, but…we just want to be with you."

"We want to try and be your friends," Robbie stated, "We _do_ care about you Trina. All of us, and well, we'll do whatever it takes to earn your respect again. Most importantly _is _your sister connecting with you, but…we want to do the same."

"So Trina? From me, from all of us, would you give us another chance?" Trina pressed her lips together and slowly pushed her fork into her salad. They still had a lot to talk about, a lot to discuss, and she wasn't ready to spill everything of the past months out to them. She would, however, see about lessoning the blow of Jade's pregnancy to Trixie. If at all possible.

"We'll see what happens, Tori…If it goes back to the way things were before, with them ridiculing me and you not saying anything…even _agreeing_ with them at times, then we're done…you're not getting any more chances from me. Or at least, they won't be."

"I understand. That's fair. Everyone agree?" The others instantly agreed. Satisfied, Trina moved her food to her lips and closed her eyes. What was to come, she didn't know, but she _was_ looking forward to seeing how these people treated her. She wanted to reconnect, but she was still holding them at arm's reach for now.

* * *

Well what are your thoughts?


	26. Vega Sisters Reconnecting

The Runaway

Disclaimer: Don't own Victorious, or FOP

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 26 (Vega Sisters Reconnecting)

"So you're saying I have to stay in a motel room?" Trina nodded at her little sister as she and Vicky helped move Tori's luggage around the room. Tori and her friends had already got the motel room and left their luggage in their rooms when they arrived, so now it was simply a matter of unpacking. Tori had a room with the girls, the guys had their own room, and both were just down the hallway from Sinjin's motel room.

"Vicky only has one guest room, and that's where I'm staying." It was possible to offer the couch, but Vicky didn't want anyone sleeping on her couch. She put her hands to her hips and looked over to Vicky. "Though I don't see why we can't just throw a blanket on the floor or something." Vicky glanced over and shuddered.

"Too much, Trina. The floor gets dirty throughout the day, the dirt would get on the blanket. Tori shouldn't sleep on the floor." Trina raised an eyebrow and Tori chuckled nonchalantly.

"Well that's still fine," Tori tossed herself on the bed beside the window and moved back against the headboard. One of the suitcases bounced off the bed and fell on the floor, tossing clothes onto Vicky. Vicky narrowed her eyes and Trina covered a growing smile. "Sorry sis…" With a sigh, Vicky removed a blue shirt from her head and bent over to grab the fallen suitcase.

Trina looked to the second bed and lifted her eyebrows, Tori said Cat and Jade were going to have to share that bed. The girls were at the hotel's lunch area beside the lobby and would be there for a while. It did give her and Vicky some time alone with Tori, which wasn't so bad. "Interesting you guys chose this hotel, same one where Sinjin was at."

"Closest to the airport, we just wanted to find you so we took the first hotel we could find. It's cool Sinjin's here I guess, he's changed since he left. I mean _appearance_ wise." She didn't think he looked all that different. Granted his hair had more volume, but she remembered the last she saw him before she left, he said he always combed his hair back when he went to bed.

"Eh, he looks the same to me. Same old Sinjin. I guess he just decided to stop combing his hair down only for bed and let it grow out…he also used to only wear contacts at his house, so I'm guessing he got some better contacts." Her sisters eyed her peculiarly and Vicky shook her head.

"I guess I'm not one to speak here, considering I've not met the guy before." Vicky replaced the now refolded clothes into the suitcase and set it on the small chair beside the window. "Anyway, Tori, I think you'll be fine here. Apparently you know where my house is if you need anything, but please, call first."

"Yeah I'll do that." Tori brushed her hair back and started to gaze at Vicky. Trina understood her pondering. All things considered, the last time she even saw her eldest sister was thirteen years ago. Being that Trina wasn't turning twenty until April and Tori's eighteenth birthday wasn't until June, that meant Trina was nine and Tori was roughly seven, six years old to the day since she last saw Vicky. They left in May eleven years prior. "So…Vicky, I know why Trina left home…" Trina's heart stopped and concern swept over her, she didn't really want Tori knowing about her mom's affair right now. At least not when there was so much going on, and it happened so long ago.

Vicky closed her eyes and moved over to the wall beside Trina, leaning against it and shrugging her shoulders. "I have my reasons. Some things are better left unsaid until the proper time." Tori bowed her head.

"I guess I wish I could have had more memories of you."

"No. You don't want to wish that, trust me. Trina can tell you how miserable I was. Let me just say right now, I'm more toned down than I used to be. Of course, when you've been living in this crazy town as long as I have, you learn to go with the flow."

"What do you mean?" Trina was concerned as well, this wasn't the first 'cryptic' statement Vicky said about the town. She knew a lot of things happened in the past because of Timmy's wishes, but how _bad_ was the scale? She lowered her arms and gave Vicky a look of concern. Vicky folded her arms, staring back at her sisters and sighing.

"Every day it seemed like, there was a new destruction going on. No matter what, something strange happens in this town more than you can probably count. Of course, it kind of slowed down a bit when Trina got here, but this town has a lot of secrets to it, as would any small town, I suppose. Either way, every natural disaster that happens here seems to be erased and people move on…still a creepy town."

"It _was_ kind of why mom and dad left," Trina suggested. She knew it wasn't the biggest reason, or at least, not the reason Vicky thought it was for. On part, both sisters were correct. David's partner, Gary, _was_ often suspicious around Holly. And of course, Mrs. Vega was in the same way. "Granted, you know Gary, right Tori?" Tori slowly nodded her head. "Well he's the guy that got Dad a job in LA, some mysterious way they met, I don't know how…but yeah…after getting that job offer, we moved because of all the crazy stuff going on around here."

"But why did Vicky stay behind?"

"Well uh…Vicky?"

The woman rolled her eyes and slowly glanced to the side, "Let's just say mom and I have had our issues. Other than that, I stayed because I was offered a job at the daycare center and I liked it here." Trina's eyelids fell halfway and her lip curved into a smirk. She crossed her legs over and leaned against the wall. Vicky turned her gaze suspiciously onto her.

"I can't imagine you opting to remain stuck in a town that looks like it's still stuck in the 50s. Seriously, everything here _screams_ 'the fifties called, they want their style back'!" Vicky smirked back at her and closed her eyes. Her eyebrows shot up and her smirk increased in depth.

"Says the woman that moved to the town several _months_ ago and started dating Dimmsdale's resident Happy Gilmore." Trina coughed on her attempt to think of a comeback, only earning a laugh from Tori. Sadly, she could think of nothing. It was strange, she and Vicky could go for hours on mindless banter when they were younger. "What? Nothing? Geez, when you were kid, you'd always have _something_ witty coming out of you."

"Give it time Vicky. It'll come."

"Sure it will."

"Who is this 'Happy Gilmore'?" Tori asked, skepticism lacing her voice. "I'm guessing something like that Adam Sandler movie?" Trina nodded, figuring it best to explain who Timmy was _now_.

"Timmy Turner is the boy I had a massive crush on as a little girl. When I ran away I came here because this town was like a connection to my past, when I was _happier_. It hadn't changed, and neither had Timmy. We dated and I thought I was happy…but I wasn't being fair to him or myself…there's a lot to talk about in regards to him. We've both decided to move on and remain friends, he's got his life to take care of, and I have my issues to deal with."

Vicky pushed herself from the wall with her foot, shrugging her shoulders. "Eh, I honestly never thought he was the right guy for you."

"Yes I remember that argument." She groaned, her eyes moving towards the ceiling. Tori simply stared at the two of them, her confusion was very understandable. "You haven't liked him since that birthday party I had…"

"He wrecked the house. I don't know how, but I just _know_ he was behind it. Not to mention all the strange transforming..." Vicky shuddered and quickly cleared her throat, moving on with her point. "Besides, you told me he did something to scare you, and I've kept my eye on him ever since."

"Uh huh."

"So what _have_ you been up to since you got here?" Tori got up from her bed and walked over to the two. "I know you said something happened last week, I don't know what, but...yeah."

"Last week?" There was no point in keeping this from Tori, as much as she didn't want to talk about it. Her head ached just remembering the whole thing again, but she would be willing to discuss with her sister. "When I came into town, this guy was trying to build some sort of big thing and cut down this tree, I took a stand. Granted, nearly got myself killed in a situation I'd rather not discuss…" The color ran form Tori's face and fear spread across her eyes. "As you know, I'm fine. Anyway, a week ago the guy, Magnate found me and wanted to kill me. He, and the town's prominent cop knocked me out. Somewhere along the way, they met Seth…I tried to fight them off, then Magnate shot Seth and let me go."

"He let you go?"

"Yeah." Tori threw her arms around her. Trina was a bit taken aback by the gesture, but felt oddly comfortable. She started to smile and wrapped her arms around her little sister. "I'm okay now, Tori…" Tori lifted her head up, concern and fear flashed bright in her eyes. Trina's face fell as she saw a mist coming at the bottom of her sister's gaze.

"You could have died! How many times have you almost died since leaving LA?"

"Not _that_ many…" She'd been on some pretty dangerous adventures with Timmy, yes, one of which included nearly falling off a very dangerous bridge in the North Pole. Of course, she made it across just fine.

"Still clingy, huh?" Vicky asked. The girls looked over to see the compassion in her eyes. Trina wanted to retort back, to say Vicky was still protective. They had reason, a very good reason for being how they were. Tragedy was common in their lives as it was in this town. Now, Trina had come to understand that the tragedies that always befell the town was due to whenever Timmy had granted careless wishes.

Tori bowed her head and shrugged her shoulders, "I can't help it. I don't want to lose my sister. I cling because I'm scared, you know that…"

"Yeah, I know." Vicky didn't know of Timmy's fairies, but she definitely understood magic. How many times had she been turned into a frog, lizard, or some other creature? She was never stupid.

The tragedy that befell them when they were young, it was an aftermath of one of Timmy's wishes. Trina discovered this only when she learned of his fairies. Not once did she blame him though, because he never did anything with malicious intentions. However, with his tendency to feel guilt, she could never talk about it. Vicky's over protectiveness, Tori's clinginess, it was all the result of one of his wishes gone wrong. That magic was the only explanation for what had torn their car in half so long ago.

"You won't lose me, Tori."

* * *

About to see that tragedy in the coming chapter. What are your thoughts on their reunion?


	27. Vega's Tragedy

The Runaway

Disclaimer: Don't own Victorious, or FOP

A/N: This is the flashback chapter

* * *

Chapter 27 (Vega Sisters Trauma)

Sixteen years old, driving her sisters for the first time, Vicky made sure the girls were strapped into their seats. Trina was sitting behind her, laughing as four year old Tori ticked her sides. She had to drive to the Turner home to babysit, but was forced to bring her sisters with her due to her parents being gone. Her father was at work and her mom was off to wherever the woman went. _"Wouldn't be surprised if she took a flight to that cop in LA…"_

She'd known about her _real_ father for years, she wasn't stupid. David never paid attention to her, only to Tori and Trina. One night when she was younger, she'd walked in on her mom doing a video chat with this guy, she was doing a striptease for him. Her mom had to quickly explain what was going on, and when Vicky pressed further, that was when she learned the horrible truth. The man in LA was her father. After spending so long in tears, she came to hate the woman known as her mom and grew bitter, refusing to speak with her parents.

The two girls in the backseat, they were her world right now. They were the only people she could ever be compassionate to. Sure, she was mean to Trina at times because of jealousy, but she'd never want anything bad to happen to her. "Go faster! Drive faster!"

"I can't, Tootie, I just got my license." _Tootie_ was a nickname that started in the household from when Trina was a toddler. Her dad had been a fan of the show Facts of Life and was watching a marathon with Trina when the girl got up and began emulating the girl on the show whose name was Tootie. After that, everyone in the house would jokingly call her Tootie, sometimes it was just to appease her.

"But other cars are passing us, Vicky!" She leaned back and raised her eyebrows at the cars speeding by her, none of them were obeying the speed limit. Rather, it looked like the drivers were trying to get away from something. She wasn't going to do that, she was going to obey all the rules of the road.

"I have to follow rules." She pushed her foot on the brake pedal as the stoplight changed from yellow to red. Much to her shock, several drivers were shooting by her. She shook her head and looked back to her sisters, both of whom were now eyeing the window. "You see, when you get older, driving like that earns you a _ticket_."

"No fun!" Her lips curled into a smile and her eyes drifted to the back windshield. A sudden flash of light stabbed her eyes and the girls began to scream as an explosion shook the ground behind them. "What was that!" As the light fled and her eyes adjusted to normal, Vicky saw a smoldering crater three feet behind her car. Her eyes widened and she quickly turned around, understanding what the other drivers were running from. In the crater was a gold and black robot with fiery red eyes. The robot turned its head to her. Her body tensed and her voice fell from her lips in a stammer.

"My bad, hold tight girls!" Panic flooded her veins as she slammed down the gas and started picking up speed. Tori hugged herself and looked over her shoulder, questioning what was going on. Trina looked outside and screamed. "Sit down, Trina!"

"It's coming after us, Vicky! It's shooting stuff!"

"What?!" She looked in the rearview mirror, screaming as lasers and bullets were flying past her car. Thinking fast, she turned right onto a nearby street. Her chest heaved as her eyes flew back to the mirror. Sweat formed at her forehead and her nostrils flared out.. The robot was still following them! A blast of light shot from its eyes and was heading directly for the car. Tori and Trina both had their heads up in the windshield. Her heart clenched and she reached back, pushing down on her sisters. "No! Get down girls!" Just as they ducked, the light, like a laser, shot through the windshield. She screamed as the laser shot past her, scorching only the top of her shoulder as it shattered the front windshield. She screamed in pain and slammed her foot on the break.

"Vicky!" Her arm flew to her shoulder, she could feel blood seeping through her fingers. She started to whimper as the front hood began crumbling. She turned her shaky gaze towards the windshield and froze as she found herself face to face with the very robot they had been running from. Tori screamed out and Trina's arms flew around her youngest sister.

"D-D-Don't do anything…to my sisters…" Every day something was happening in Dimmsdale, she was slowly growing used to the destruction by now. Never before had it come so close to her sisters, though, and here they were right in the line of it all. How could she protect them?

The robot had steam coming from its open mouth and fire in its eyes, its body was riddled with spikes. It hopped off the car, and for a minute, she thought they were in the clear. She looked back at her sisters, reaching out her hand. "T-Trina, T-Tori…" The girls looked up at her, tears in their eyes. They were unharmed. They started to reach out for her, she was ready to go home and tell the Turners that she was not babysitting tonight. They would have to find someone else.

She felt a sudden jolt and gasped as the car began shaking. Her sisters cried out in anguish and Vicky looked back over her shoulder. They were _off_ the ground! Her eyes widened as a loud crackling noise erupted in her ears. In the corner of her eyes, she saw the side of the car beginning to crack. She let out a whimpering sigh and began trembling as light sank in through the crack.

"N-No…"

"Vicky! Vicky what's going on!" Her heart was racing and her lungs expanded as a powerful scream left her lips. The sound of the car tearing in half concealed her terror, but what came next, was far worse than she could picture. Her sisters' screaming was _fading. _Her body grew numb as she watched the back half of her car flying away into the distance. Her heart stopped and her jaw hung as the nightmare continued. She reached out, screaming aloud, praying that this was only a nightmare. Praying the girls were safe behind her.

"Trina! Tori! No!" The car collapsed on the ground, forcing her to fall out of the vehicle and onto the pavement. When she rolled onto her back, she moaned, seeing the robot glaring down at her. "No…I have to…find my sisters…" She couldn't die here, no, her sisters needed her now. She took it all back, the things she'd told her mother a week before. She told her mother how she wished she was gone, how she wished that she herself never existed, because all she was to her family was a sign of an affair. A _mistake_ and nothing more. Tears flooded her eyes as her heart pounded in her chest. "Not yet, please. I…I don't want…this."

Trina could feel Tori clutching her left arm as she held onto the seatbelt with her right hand. Their end of the car was still flying, and she could see the tops of buildings. Tori was crying out, her screams of terror were the only things keeping her from breaking down. She had to be the strong one now, no matter how terrified she was.

After several seconds, they stopped moving. Trina looked over her shoulder, gasping out at the silver robot that caught them. She felt Tori's grip loosen and looked back as the young girl screamed and fell. Panicking, Trina grabbed Tori's wrist and grabbed the edge of the car. "Tri-Tri! Help me! Help me!"

"I got you, hang on Tori!" Trina began sweating as she struggled to pull her little sister up. She grabbed the top of the car seat, clenching her fingers around the soft seat and grunting as she began pulling Tori.

"Tri-I'm scared! I'm scared!"

Trina peered over the edge of the car, gasping out at the ground below. They had to be miles into the sky! The silver robot was only slowly descending. Adrenaline stabbed her and fear made her practically throw her little sister into the car. In doing so, she soon found herself falling out. She heard Tori cry and gazed up to see her little sister peering down at her, a look of sheer terror plastered over her face.

Her eyes moved to the back of her head and her eyelids closed over. She expected to hit ground, she expected everything to go black and to never see her sisters again, but the impact never came. When she opened her eyes, she saw Timmy Turner flying with a jetpack. "Timmy!" She gasped out and clutched his shirt, feeling as though she were about to fall again. He looked down at her and smiled.

"Hey Tootie! Sorry about that, I'm playing Superheroes and Villains with robots!" Her lips formed a circle as he landed her safely on the ground. He was a hero? She stood on shaky legs, gazing up as he flew off into the sky.

"Wow…" Behind her, she heard the robot land. She looked over her shoulder to see Tori run from the car and fling her arms around her, screaming out in terror. "Tori?"

"I was so scared!" Tori buried her face into Trina's waist, sobbing frantically. Trina hugged her little sister and clenched her eyes shut, weeping silently. "I don't want to lose you, Tri-Tri!"

"You won't, I'm right here."

"Trina! Tori!" She looked up to see her sister running for them, breathless and drenched in sweat. Her heart skipped a beat as her sister threw her arms around them and tackled them to the ground as a laser flew over their heads. "Keep your heads down!" Vicky kissed them both and held them tight as explosions sounded off all around them. When she looked out, she saw the silver and gold robot fighting each other, a clash of titans like no other.

After several long minutes of shivering and fearing for their lives, everything went silent. The air returned to normal and all that remained were the craters surrounding them. She saw Vicky look around, gasping and shaking like a leave. "I-It's over?" Tori was clutching Trina like the world had just ended, and Vicky wasn't about to let them go. Vicky closed her eyes and began to sob. "Oh god. I…"

In the hotel room, Trina shared a hug with Vicky and Tori. The memory they shared was a tense one indeed, and it made Trina really question why she ran away from Tori. The_ why_ wasn't the problem, it was that she left her sister alone. "I won't lose you again, will I, Trina?" Tori's eyes were misty as they were so many years ago.

"N-No you won't…" The fact of the matter was, Tori didn't remember much of that memory. She never really forgot, but she never thought about it.

"I'll tell my friends to treat you right, Trina. I just…I _can't_ lose you again. You _know_ I can't."

Vicky squeezed the two of them, having been overcome with grief upon remembering their tragedy. It was brought up when Tori mentioned it, stating that she'd been having nightmares about it since Trina left. "I don't want you two to stay in Dimmsdale for too long," Vicky muttered.

"It's not that dangerous here anymore," Trina remarked. Timmy wasn't careless like that. It was interesting, her childhood crush began as hero worship. Yet, Timmy saved her from the very thing he actually caused.

Only the three sisters knew about this, they never even told their parents about the trauma they suffered. Vicky had explained off the hit on her shoulder as having tripped and scraped up her arm on pavement. They wanted to suggest that nobody would believe a robot attack, but with all the crazy things that went around Dimmsdale, it was hard not to.

She didn't know what she was going to do about Tori, still she didn't want to go back to LA. It was a matter of pride, a matter of reliving the pain she suffered there. Yet, she did suffer pain here as well, which was the least of two evils? She had to see how Tori's friends would act first, she had to trust them again. She didn't want to open herself up to be hurt again, not by them. Before anything, however, she would need to see Jade about her older sister. "I guess I should talk to Jade about telling Trixie…about her pregnancy?"

"Can that be done later, Trina? I haven't spent time with you in months, and years obviously for Vicky…I need to be with my sisters, you don't know how bad it is for me…"

"Yeah, I understand. Don't worry, I won't go anywhere."

* * *

So now you know, the tragedy of their past lives in Dimmsdale. Tell me, what are your thoughts?


	28. Talking to Trixie

The Runaway

Disclaimer: Don't own Victorious, or FOP

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 28 (Talking to Trixie)

The more they walked, the more Jade complained. Stopping before the iron gate at the front of a long walkway that led to a giant white mansion, Jade went white as a sheet. Beck held her hand, patting the top of it and gazing at the mansion with a look of fear in his eyes. Trina shook her head and quelled her own concerns about visiting the Tang mansion. Part of her was being selfish, knowing that Trixie wouldn't do anything to her when she learned of her little sister's pregnancy. For the most part, Trina was going to do everything in her power to keep Trixie calm, to keep her from yelling at Jade and to keep her from killing Beck.

"You've dug yourself into quite a big hole Jade, and I recommend being completely honest to her. Unfortunately, that means divulging everything." Jade looked to her with wide, painful eyes. "The fact that you and Beck weren't even dating at the time of conception…Jade, I know Trixie as well as you do, this is not going to be easy."

"I know." Trixie would most definitely want to kill Beck. She put her hands to the gate and pushed them open with ease, she couldn't remember a single day in her life that Trixie Tang locked the front gates. As she stepped onto the walkway, she stopped and twisted around to the couple frozen outside. Jade's body was trembling and her eyes were glued to the mansion. "Y-You could go?" She narrowed her eyes and sighed.

"Come on, Trixie's no worse than Vicky." That might not be one hundred percent true. While the two sisters had always been separate kinds of 'bitchiness', Trixie was just a higher degree of evil. At least Vicky had some heart, some compassion. "Now come on before I'm forced to drag you." Jade nodded and started to move behind her, Beck followed quickly.

"I'm here for you Jade," Beck said with a smile. Trina chuckled lightly and shook her head. Thankfully because of Trixie's bitchiness, she could handle just about anything. She would be able to calm Trixie's rage, for the most part. Although, it might be fun to let her go out of control for a minute or two. Would it be wrong of her to do that?

Upon reaching the front door and striking the bell, they heard a very pleasant chime sounding out from within the home. "Seriously?" She raised an eyebrow and shook her head. "She's even got to pay to have a musical doorbell? Can't just be the standard one? Jesus…" She heard footsteps shuffling against the concrete floor and looked back to see Jade and Beck starting to scoot backwards. "Don't try it. Running won't…"

_Running won't solve a thing_

She rolled her eyes and groaned as her hand flew to her forehead. _"Of course. That coming from me sounds terrible…"_

The door opened and Trixie cried out in astonishment. "Trina! What are you doing at my house? I have no time for you."

"Not now, Queen Bitchy." Trixie raised an eyebrow.

"Did you just call me-"

"Yep." Trina gestured her thumb over her shoulder with nonchalance. "Your sister's here to see you, she has something to tell you." Trixie's eyes moved over to Jade and her eyebrows lifted. "So…we're coming in now…" She motioned the two inside and brushed past Trixie. They sat on a white couch beside a gigantic fireplace. She was on the outer right cushion with Beck on the left outer cushion and Jade in the middle. Trixie moved to her recliner, gazing at Jade.

"Jade, it's good to see you, little sister." Jade averted her eyes. Trina rolled her head onto her closed hand which was perched up from the armrest. Her eyes closed and her chest moved out with a heavy breath. She wanted this to be over, and it hadn't even begun. "What brings you to Dimmsdale? Surely not Trina?"

"Well actually yes, we all came up to talk to her about starting over…" Tina opened her eyes and glanced over to Jade. This wasn't about her, and she was not comfortable being the icebreaker. "But Daddy wanted me to tell you something. Um, where's Mom at?"

"Running errands, I'm working on some papers for my grad degree. I'm working towards a major in fashion design." Trina scoffed under her breath and Trixie's eyes flew onto her. "I'm sorry, do you have something to add to this, Trina? Yes? No? I didn't _think_ so." Trina lifted her head up and a smirk grew on her face.

"Focus on your little sister, Trixie. She needs you." Jade's eyes widened and Trixie huffed, returning her gaze to her sister, then Beck.

"So Jade, is this the ever famous Beck? The guy you keep breaking up with?" Beck shifted uncomfortably and Jade ran her hand through her hair, chuckling out her nervousness.

"Y-Yeah, this is Beck." Trixie studied him closely, rubbing her index finger on the indention beneath her lip. "He and I have broken up a lot because we fight a lot. We always get back together, though. I love him and he loves me."

"He's not good enough for you." Jade's mouth dropped and Trina's hand fell down as she turned an astonished gaze to Trixie. "Let me explain why." Trixie narrowed her eyes and slowly stood up. Beck watched anxiously, while retaining his calm as Trixie moved over to him and set her deadly nails onto his shoulder. "Jade, you've told me a lot of him. He's vain, he's petty, and he even tried to make a move on one of your closest friends."

"We weren't together that time, though."

"No but you'd just broken up with him and you still had feelings for him, obviously. If he can so easily as move on from you that quickly, then…" Trixie stepped behind the couch and leaned forward, placing her head between the couple and glaring slowly at Beck while lowering her voice to a whisper. "Then he's not good for my little sister." Beck stammered and Trixie leaned back upright. "Jade. You need a man that can take care of you, treat you right, and not be fickle-hearted.

"What if I don't _want _another-"

"I'm telling you Jade, you need a man, not someone that will hurt you!"

"Trixie let her talk," Trina responded. She wasn't one to get in the way of something like this, and she acknowledged it wasn't her place, but there was nothing Jade could do about who she was with. Jade looked over at her, tears beginning to form in her eyes. Trixie put her hands to her hips and glared as Trina rose to her feet and dusted off her pants. "Now I know I shouldn't get in between, but I'm here to mediate at the very least."

"Well know your place, Trina. This is between me and my sister."

"Not when you have her backed into a corner she can't get out of." Trina crossed her arms and met Trixie's gaze, huffing mildly. "Now you can manipulate and control people all you want, everyone knows Jade is scared to death of you, and you can be a cold hearted bitch so nobody, even Jade, can stand up to you. But you do care about your sister, I know that, so the least you can do is listen to her."

Trixie growled in defeat and closed her eyes. "Fine." She turned to Jade, her nostrils flaring and chest heaving. As she opened her eyes, a brief look of compassion shot by her as her gaze fell onto Jade's hand, which was resting on her abdomen. "So what's the deal, Jade? Must be pretty big for you to visit me and have to bring Trina to 'mediate' things."

"Well first off, I'm in love with Beck, and nothing's going to change that. I won't leave him, I won't break up with him now. He can and _does_ treat me right." Trixie raised an eyebrow as Jade looked down to her hand. "Trina's right, you need to learn to just listen. You can't just command everything, it doesn't work like that, sometimes you have to listen to me too. So when I tell you that I'm staying with Beck, know that I mean it."

"Okay fine. I won't interfere with your relationship with him." Trixie walked back around the couch and sat in her recliner. She crossed her legs and clasped her hands on top of her knee. "Now, tell me what you need."

"Okay." Jade took a deep breath while Beck twiddled his thumbs and hunched over his knees. "Just promise me…_promise_ me you won't like freak out or kill him, or you know…" Trina watched, amused as Trixie tapped her fingers on the arm of the chair and closed her eyes.

"And _why_…" She cleared her throat and lifted her eyelids halfway. "Would I do that?"

"Promise!"

Trixie rolled her eyes and leaned her head back against the chair. "Okay, I promise."

"Thank you. I have to tell Mom too, and I'm more worried about how you'll react."

"Jade." Trixie leaned forward and started to smile as she locked eyes with her sister. "You're my baby sister, you know you can tell me anything. I know I can be a bitch, and I've been cruel to you in the past, but don't be afraid to talk to me. I love you, okay?" Trina gave her a skeptical look, then shrugged her shoulders. No matter how 'caring' Trixie may be, nothing was going to prepare the woman for what she was about to hear. She sat up straight, preparing herself in case she might have to get in between the sisters again. Jade closed her eyes and inhaled slowly.

"O-Okay. Trixie…I'm going to have a baby…"

Trixie stared in silence at her sister, her face dropping as her eyebrows inched upwards very slowly. Jade started to tense and Beck closed his eyes. "What." The word was very long and drawn out, as if Trixie were attempting to let it sink in. "What does that mean?"

"I'm pregnant."

"What does _that_ mean?"

"It means that I am ha-"

"I know what it literally means! I'm asking _how_ and what you're talking about."

Jade took a deep breath and Trixie tapped her fingertips together in front of her nose. "Beck and I…broke up after I caused Trina to leave. Then we met up and argued and had…sex…we had a lot of tension to release. Then I found I was pregnant with his baby a couple months later."

"You!" With the force of a tornado, Trixie shot up and lunged for Beck. Jade screamed and Trina flinched as Trixie's angry hands grasped Beck's throat. "You knocked up my little sister! How dare you get my baby sister pregnant!"

"Trixie! You said you wouldn't be angry!"

Trina shot up and put her arms under Trixie's yanking her off Beck, who was now holding his throat. Trixie screamed out and thrashed about, trying to be free from Trina's grasp. "Trixie! Relax!" She ordered.

"I will not! This man got my sister pregnant!"

"Shit happens, Trixie! Shit happens!" Trixie roared out, still scrambling as both Beck and Jade remained frozen in their seats. Thinking fast, Trina swung Trixie around and threw her into the chair. Before she could get back up, Trina reached forward and pinned her shoulders down, glaring into the ferocious eyes. "Calm down! Your sister needs you now, Trixie, don't be getting all crazy."

"Who are you to tell me my sister needs me?"

Trina narrowed her eyes and slapped Trixie clean across the face. Trixie's eyes widened and her mouth hung open. "Yes I know!" She flipped her hair over her shoulder and sighed. "I get it, I left my sister behind. Big whoop, this isn't about _me_. Your sister fucked up, got pregnant, and came to you. She's being open, she's being honest, so the _least_ you could do is show some _respect_ for her! I had to be civil when my sister showed up out of the blue. Granted, I had to take some time to breathe before I could talk civil with her, so maybe you have to do the same?"

Trixie began to relax, her eyes glinting off to the sides. "Get off me, Trina…" Trina hesitated, slowly pulling her hands back, but hovering them over Trixie's shoulders just in case the woman tried to lunge. When she didn't, Trina stepped back and nodded her head. "Okay." Trixie leaned forward, gazing at Jade. "Jade…what were you thinking?"

"I don't know. Emotions were high." Jade started to tear up, and Beck reached for her hand.

"Don't touch her right now. In fact, I'm going to ask that you leave the room…" Beck nodded his head and exited the room. Trina agreed that this was the best choice for the moment, considering Trixie's rage. "I'm sorry I jumped out like that. I'm not accustomed to having my little sister telling me she's pregnant, obviously."

"Yeah…I kept it hidden because I was afraid of what people would think."

"The baby is not an 'it', Jade, it's a baby. Refer to it as such. How long?"

"Seven months." Jade closed her eyes and Trixie breathed in slowly. After a few seconds, Trixie moved beside her sister and pulled her into a hug. "I just told daddy. I don't know what to do…"

"It's okay, you'll be fine. I'm here, Jade…"

After several long minutes of conversation, an agreement had been reached and the sisters were going to restart their relationship. They had a long way to go, a lot of lost time and issues to patch up, but they were willing to try. Trina figured she ought to take a lesson from them, as scared as Jade was, it all worked out in the end for her.

Beck was called in and Trixie looked him straight in the eye with a look that could put fear into even the strongest of men. "Listen to me, and listen to me well, Beck." She pointed to Jade and narrowed her eyes. "That there is my sister, she's carrying your baby inside of her. No more of this being fickle, got that? You're going to take care of her, treat her right, raise that child with her, and you're going to love them both unconditionally."

"Yes, of course," He replied. "I love them both."

"Yeah well, a lot of men get nervous when a baby gets involved. So let me make things perfectly clear, _crystal_ clear…" Trixie dusted off his shoulders, smiling slightly as she then pat his arms and firmly gripped them. "I am a very,_ very_ rich woman. I can buy many things, such as an extra _expendable_ limo. I use expendable limos in crash tests, but I've never, _never_ had a live human crash test dummy." Trina's eyebrows rose and Beck began to pale.

"O-Okay?"

"If you _ever_ hurt my little sister. If you so much as strike her in anger because of how she acts, if you so much as look at another girl, if you so much as push her around or harm a single hair on her head…because she has informed me that you have some anger issues too and can be a bit controlling…" Trixie started to smile, but it was with a level of coldness that Trina had yet to see, a coldness more than that of her own elder sister's anger. "If you leave her behind because of that child, if you do something wrong, I will be watching, and I _will_ have my first human crash test dummy. Per se. Do I make myself clear?"

"I would never-"

"I asked if I was clear and understood, Beck."

"Yes. Yes you were."

"Good. You can go now, wait for Jade outside please." Was he sweating? Trina could see him shaking, losing his cool. Never before had she seen him in such a way, it was both amazing and frightening at the same time. "They don't joke when they say I can be a cold-hearted and vicious bitch. I have my reasons."

"Yes ma'am." He rushed off and Jade watched with a nervous gaze. She looked over to her sister and chuckled nervously.

"Sorry for scaring him like that, but I just wanted him to know that he needs to treat you right." Jade nodded as Trixie hugged her close. "No matter what, you're still my sister, and I _do_ love you. I always will, Jade…I think you'll make a great mother, and I'll be more than willing to help you along the way. So will mom, if you'll let her, and I'll be here to talk to her for you."

"You will?"

"Yes."

Trina smiled and began making her way to the door, her work here was done as far as she was concerned. She was immensely proud of Jade, and happy for her that now she was able to reconnect with her family.

Perhaps she too should look into doing the same?

* * *

I think Beck should be more afraid than Jade in that instance, but at least Jade and Trixie have somewhat of an understanding. Your thoughts?


	29. Deciding Factors

The Runaway

Disclaimer: Don't own Victorious, or FOP

A/N: Just a couple chapters left

* * *

Chapter 29 (Deciding Factors)

"They can't stay here forever," Sinjin remarked while he and Trina walked his dog around the park's long and winding trails. "Even I may have to go back to LA at some point of time." She knew none of them could stay forever, that wasn't a problem for her. As for Sinjin, she was well aware he could go wherever he wanted to go, he told her that himself. He didn't have to stay in LA if he didn't want to.

"I know, but I'm too anxious to go back."

"Well, I wouldn't put it past Tori to try and stay here forever, but the problems with that are simple: She needs to finish up her senior year at Hollywood Arts, and I don't know that your parents want to lose another daughter of theirs." It was a growing trend with them, wasn't it? "And what of Vicky? Have you talked to her about going back? Trying to reconnect with her parents at all?"

"She doesn't want to." This must be another trait of the Vega sisters. She chuckled to herself and lifted her shoulders as Sinjin glanced to her. "It's more of a matter of pride than anything." She heard him chuckle, possibly realizing just how similar the three were. "We _are_ sisters, after all. Vicky's moved on with her life here and I…well…"

"What happened to your dreams? What about your hopes?" They stopped to let Ginger sniff a nearby tree. Trina watched the dog and dipped her head down. Hopes and dreams? She didn't care about fame, making it big. Ever since she was a little girl, she only ever wanted one thing, to follow in her father's footsteps. Police work had always fascinated her. "You used to tell me, growing up you would find your father late at nights studying a case, and you'd go in and work it with him or something."

Her heart skipped a beat as she closed her eyes and recalled her father sitting in his big brown chair, sipping a cup of coffee next to the fireplace and studying the most recent homicide investigation. As a girl, she'd go up and ask questions. Some things he couldn't, or wouldn't, tell her, but he did often ask her what she thought of someone or what she thought of the evidence. "It was always a rush to go in and find Daddy working on his most recent case and to study it with him."

"Yeah?"

"I loved it." She lifted her gaze towards the sky and started to smile as the wind blew through her hair. She did miss her father, there was no doubt about that. "I just…I don't know what will happen if I go back, Sinjin."

"You don't have to move back in with your parents if you don't want to. What is keeping you from LA besides your pride?" She shrugged her shoulders and glanced away. How was it she couldn't think of reasons anymore? Tori and her friends apologized, Seth was dead, so what was the issue? Sinjin turned to her and took her hand, her eyes flicked up towards his and her cheeks started to turn pink. "Look. If you're scared of what happened to you, what that bastard did to you, know that I'm here for you no matter what. LA is a big town, it's easy to avoid trigger areas, you'd be safe."

"I guess.."

"Then there's the issue that, well, your father needs you more than anyone in LA." Her breath hitched, her body began to lean in towards him and she slowly shook her head. How did her father need her? "That man has been nothing but depressed trying to find you, exhausting every avenue and every turn. He's not been himself, Trina. He was actually compiling a list of the best colleges for criminal justice for you when you left."

She gasped out and let her hands fall, her heart trembled and her eyes began to water, "H-He was?" What else did her dad have prepared for her? "I didn't know he was doing anything for me…"

"Your birthday was coming up in April, he wanted to surprise you. He said he actually got this CSI team in Las Vegas to agree to bringing you in as an apprentice. CSI Russell with Nick Stokes, Sara Sidle, Finlay, Sanders….the whole team agreed that they could teach you as you go to college, you just can't do any of the field work until you're more experienced." Trina moved her hand over her heart and took a slight step back. She wanted to jump, to scream for joy. It was the most amazing thing anyone could have ever done for her. "As far as I know, their offer still stands."

"I…I don't know what to say…How did he manage to land that deal?"

"I don't know, you'd have to ask him. I think he was a friend of this Russel guy, or maybe it was the Undersheriff, Ecklie that he was friends with at some point of time. He said he knew one of the two from his days in the police academy, and that's about all I know."

"Wow…for him to do that for me…" This was difficult for her. If she went back to LA, if she faced her demons, her father might have actually managed to get an _apprenticeship_ lined up for her? "One one side, that is something I've always only ever dreamed of, being a CSI…can that really happen? Can it really be true?" Sinjin shrugged his shoulders.

"Again, you'd have to find that out. All I know is that's what your dad was doing." Her dad _did _care? He basically told her that before, but even with this news, it was startling. "It also sounds to me like Tori has no intentions of leaving your side."

"What do you mean?"

They began walking once more, she studied him as he gazed directly ahead. "I was walking through the lobby when I heard your sister talking to Cat and Andre, she told them that now that she found you, she wasn't sure if she wanted to go back home."

"But…she's got to finish her senior year, right?"

"Doesn't sound like it's as important to her." Her heart sank at that, she couldn't believe her sister would leave school just to be with her. "I think Tori would be fine if she knew where you were, if she knew you would always come back to her, but for the most part…she doesn't know. Everything's gone to hell since you've been gone, and I know I've told you that. They've told you that as well, so…really the ball is in your court."

"I guess…"

At Vicky's, Trina managed to get Tori over. Vicky and Tori were sitting on the couch while Sinjin sat on the stone fireplace. Trina paced, throwing her arms into the air. "What are you thinking, Tori!" Vicky looked to the youngest sister and Tori shrugged her shoulders, averting eye contact with her sisters. "How could you say you just want to drop out of school to be here?"

"I don't want to lose you, Trina. I don't know where you're going, what you're going to do, and I'm too afraid to not know." Tori folded her arms and looked up to her. Trina raised an eyebrow at her sister and Vicky sighed. "Trina, we've been through everything together. This is the longest I've been that I _didn't_ know where you were or what you were doing. Even Dad's surprise for you, I would have known and I would be happy, but here…here I _don't_. Of course, of all places, it's _Dimmsdale!_"

"What's wrong with Dimmsdale?"

"One word. Robot." Trina shuddered at the memory and Vicky gave her a knowing look, as if to say Tori had a point. Which she did, Dimmsdale could be a nightmarish place. Yet, Timmy wasn't making careless wishes anymore. However, that didn't stop people like Chester or Crocker from still being crazy. "Are you really happy here, Trina?"

"This isn't about me, this is about you!"

"Well my decision is being made because of you! I'm not going back to LA unless you're going with me!" Trina froze and looked to Sinjin and Vicky, her heart was pounding erratically in her chest. She didn't know what to say, how the hell could she respond to this? "There is no way I'm going back without you, I'm sick of living in fear, of being afraid."

"What about Mom and Dad?"

"They'll manage, right? I mean you left them…Vicky left them…" Vicky rolled her eyes and Trina put her hands to her hips. She was growing frustrated with Tori using her running away as an excuse. Of course, before she could say anything about it, Vicky just had to point out that she'd done the same.

"She has you there, Trina. You did the same to me when we met up again." Vicky put her hands to her knees and looked over to Tori. "Trina has a point though. You can't just give up your education for her, and our having disappeared doesn't justify you leaving."

"Bullshit!" Trina did a double take and Vicky's eyebrows rose high. Tori was never one to curse. "You tell me I can't justify leaving LA, but both of you justified it in your case. I should like to think my reason for wanting to leave is probably not as bad, either!" She felt a strain of guilt over Tori's words, it _did_ sound hypocritical of her to say Tori can't just vanish from LA when she did it herself. "Everything's falling apart, I don't want to go back to a hellhole."

"You sound like I did when Vicky confronted me…" She folded her arms and Vicky smirked, already it was clear Tori was winning this. "But I could say the same thing, that I wouldn't go back to LA unless Vicky did." Instantly the smirk on her older sister's face dropped and the woman turned a slow glare to her as Tori shot the eldest a strange look. "While I understand why Vicky doesn't want to go there, I should like to think all of us ought to consider facing our demons, if anything."

"Well what about Sinjin?" Tori pointed to the man and he raised an eyebrow. Ginger, laying at his feet, perked her ears up, then rolled onto her side. He promptly reached down and rubbed her belly. "He's just moving from place to place, he's been looking all over for you. Dad's been looking all over for you. I've spent many months wishing…_wishing_ I could know what was going on with you."

"Wishing huh…" Well, she and Timmy did always skip over LA whenever they were flying across the world and granting random wishes. "Well now you know, and we're still on you Tori. You have a school to get back to."

"I'll go to school here."

"Tori."

"No. I'm staying."

"You have a _life_ in LA. Your _friends_ are in LA-"

"You're here. You're more important to me than anyone or anything in LA, Trina." Tori looked up to her as she always looked up to Vicky. What was it about younger siblings that wanted to look up and emulate their elder sibling? "You and Vicky are here, and if I had to choose, then I'm staying where you are."

Trina folded her arms and narrowed her eyes. Vicky moved her hand to her forehead and sighed heavily, "Okay here's the deal…" The girls looked over to her. "Tori, you need school, you can't just drop out because your sister's not there. I understand, however, that family is important…to that, both of you need to understand how your _parents_ are feeling." Trina raised an eyebrow, smirking at Vicky. The woman knew what was coming, she had to know.

"It's been thirteen years since you've even thought of your parents, Vicky."

"Yes Trina, I'm aware of that. That being said…" She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Considering that your dad has a plan for you as far as the criminal justice field goes, I think you should go back. Tori, I already told you, but since you won't go back unless Trina does…"

"No chance," Tori replied.

"Right. _I _will go to LA and talk to Mom and Dad, if it will get you to go, Trina." Trina's eyes widened and her heart stopped. Vicky's words struck her speechless. A deafening silence surrounded the others in the room. Vicky looked up to her and moved her arms on the tops of the couch. Trina knew how big of a step it was for her, and not one that she could swallow easily with her pride.

Sinjin's phone went off, so he grabbed it from his pocket and quickly left the room. The girls watched him go, then returned to their conversation. "You're right, thirteen years is a long time to go without saying how you feel." Vicky leaned forward, clasping her hands in between her knees and exhaling softly. "Harboring things, leaving things unsaid, only to be given the possibility that you may never actually be able to say the things you wanted to say…It's rough, and I don't want either of you to have to deal with that. Now if getting you to take control of your life means facing my _own_ demons, then sure…I'll do it. You both have _opportunities_, you both have a chance at a good life, don't throw it away because of stupid things that have happened in your past."

"So then…" Trina stammered over her words, taking a slow step towards Vicky. There was a genuine honesty in her eyes, it was remarkable to see. "You are serious that you'd go to LA…just to get me to go back?" Then, her going back would mean Tori would be going back, and that was vitally important. If Vicky was willing to face her own demons, why shouldn't she?

"Yes."

"Girls." Sinjin's voice startled the trio. He came walking swiftly into the room, pushing his phone into his pocket. "That was Mrs. Vega calling, she said she couldn't reach Tori and didn't know who else to contact. We have a problem." Fear gripped Trina's heart as she studied Sinjin's worried expression. She could sense the terrible feeling that something was indeed wrong, and yet, she was terrified to know what it was.

Tori rose from her seat, eyebrows raised and hand over her chest, "What's wrong?" Trina's heart pounded as Sinjin pushed his hands into his pockets and looked over to Trina. If Holly called him because she couldn't reach Tori, and knew that the girls were where he was, then something was dreadfully wrong. There was no doubt about it.

"It's Mr. Vega, he's in the hospital." Trina's eyes began to widen and her body went numb. Vicky tensed and Tori started to fall back into her seat. Why was her father in the hospital? Trina took a step towards Sinjin, stumbling over her words.

"What do you mean…he's in the hospital?" Sinjin winced and closed his eyes.

"He's been shot."

* * *

So your thoughts here?


	30. Coming Home

The Runaway

Disclaimer: Don't own Victorious, or FOP

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 30 (Coming Home)

There was no more need for discussion, no need to push, everyone had immediately gotten on the next flight to LA. Even Timmy wanted to go with them, provided he paid for his own ticket. The Vega family was such an impact on his life that he wanted to see if David was going to be okay.

Trina was in tears the entire way to the airport, to LA, and to the hospital. She was scared out of her mind that her father was going to die and that she may have put him in the situation. Sinjin had not left her side during this time, neither did Tori, or even Vicky. They had to stick together. "What if my leaving led to this?" Trina put her hand to her forehead and stopped in front of the hospital doors. "Oh god…" It was just now hitting her how much things had changed since she left. "I didn't think my leaving would seriously impact people that much."

"Your mom said he was shot on the job," Sinjin spoke with a calm voice that soothed her somewhat. The fact that he was shot on the job wasn't much of an extra comfort to her, she could only think about what would happen if he passed on and she didn't get the chance to talk to him. She needed to talk to him, she owed her father that much.

Once inside the hospital room, Trina broke out in tears. Her father was on the hospital bed with a life monitor hooked up to him. His chest was slowly moving up and down. Holly was sitting on his left side, holding onto his hand and weeping over his arm. Behind her, Sinjin ushered out Tori's friends. Timmy stayed outside the room, though Cosmo and Wanda attached themselves to a few surgical tools. "D-Daddy?"

Trina put her hands over her erratic heart and took a shaky step forward. David's eyes slowly opened, much to Trina's relief. Holly looked up, her gaze freezing on her three daughters. The woman began to tremble and David lifted his head slowly, groaning out Trina's name. "You're here," he spoke with a soft whisper. His hands closed on the white bed sheet and his strong body began to tremble. "Trina. Vicky. I never thought I'd see you two again…" Vicky bowed her head and Trina rushed to his side, opposite her mom, and threw her arms around his neck.

"Daddy…" She wept furiously, paying attention only to her father. Tori and Vicky had come over at some point of time, both in tears. Sinjin was still standing at the door, watching with a subtle smile. "I'm here Dad. I'm sorry I left, Daddy, I'm so, so sorry." She buried her fingers into his hair and put her head beside his. "I love you, Daddy."

"I love you too, Trina. Did Sinjin and Tori find you?"

"Sinjin did, he called Tori over." She knew Tori hadn't told her parents exactly where she was going, or that she even found her sister. She looked up to her mother, she didn't know what to say to the woman after all this time. Not only was she speechless for this reason, but she couldn't stop remembering what Vicky said about her. She knew she shouldn't be angry for something that happened over thirty years ago, but it was hard not to be. "Mom…"

Holly wiped her tears and reached her hand over, "my baby…" Trina took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. What did this mean exactly? Did it mean she was staying? Would she go back to Dimmsdale? She had no clue either way. She wanted to be happy, and she loved the _idea_ of Dimmsdale. "Where have you been, sweetie?"

"Dimmsdale." David groaned and began to sit up, wincing as he did so. Trina cried out and moved her arms around him as Tori moved to put her hand to his back. "Daddy you shouldn't be moving, you were shot."

"It's nothing," he remarked, "How were you in Dimmsdale and the police never reported it?"

"Their town cop in charge wasn't very…uh…he wasn't great at his job, Dad." She didn't have the heart to tell him what happened to her. He was already wounded, possibly physically and emotionally, she didn't want to damage him further. "The point is, I'm here now. Daddy, I'm sorry…Sinjin told me…he told me you did care."

"I always have. You're my daughter, of course I love you." He looked into her eyes with his own strong gaze. She found herself entranced, not able to notice the tear rolling along her cheek. "Your mother and I love all of you girls, including you, Vicky." They looked to Vicky, she crossed her arms and huffed. "You've been looking out for your sisters, haven't you? You always were…since you're here now-"

"Yes I have been," Vicky replied, "I'm here because I want to talk to you and mom, but first…what matters is you're alive. What happened?" David closed his eyes and slowly breathed in. Trina moved his blanket down and saw a bandage over his right chest. She covered her mouth with her hand and choked out a sob.

"Gary and I were to stop a robbery at some convenience store. When we got there, nothing was wrong…" Holly threw her hands over her mouth and Vicky slowly turned to the woman. Trina could see where this was going, she didn't like it. The image of Gary shooting her father played in her head as she gazed down at the bandage on the chest. "For some reason, he turned to me in the front of the building and shot me…I shouldn't even be here, I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for the cashier and customers that saw me crawling up to the door…"

She felt her anger stabbing her in her stomach as rage burned through her veins. Trina wanted to find Gary and drop kick him for what he did to her father! Vicky lowered her arms and shook her head. "This. _This_ is why I didn't want to come to LA!" David and Holly looked to her with worried looks. "Thirteen years ago, I opted not to come anywhere near here because I knew that man would be here." Trina looked up to her sister. A bewildered expression shot past Tori's face and she slowly rose to her feet.

"What does that mean? You didn't want to come here because of Dad's partner?"

"Not just that," Holly bowed her head and closed her eyes. Tori looked over to her mom and Trina raised an eyebrow. She was still holding onto her father, no chance was she letting go of his neck. Interested in what her mom was saying, she leaned back a bit and saw her mom's guilty expression. "Thirty years ago, I came to visit a relative in LA. I met this traffic cop that charmed me into going on a date with him…in order to avoid a ticket…" David closed his eyes and Vicky's fists clenched. "One thing led to another…"

Tori gasped and cupped her hand over her mouth. Vicky narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms. "Then Gary rose up in ranks, and you convinced him to get dad to work in LA….you think I was blind, mom?"

"I know! I'm sorry! I was wrong…" She buried her face into her hands and wept bitterly. Trina still didn't know how to react, what was she to say about her mom coming to LA and continuing an affair that should have ended thirty years ago? She was beginning to understand why Gary shot her father, but it only angered her more. She wanted to yell at her mother, but it wasn't her fault. It couldn't be her fault, could it? Holly stood up and stepped before Vicky. Her daughter turned away from her, averting her gaze. "Please understand, I…I know why you didn't come with us to LA, I never got a chance to tell you, but David and I, we loved you very much. _You_ were never the mistake, Vicky…the affair was the mistake, I know that, but you weren't."

"I was born of an affair, which judging by what Trina has said, still appears to be going on!" Trina winced and David slowly closed his eyes.

"Is this true, Holly?" Holly turned to him, tucking her lip beneath her teeth. "I know our three daughters are back home, I don't know if it's for good or not, and this conversation shouldn't be happening right now, but…is it true? Are you and Gary…"

"I told him I wanted to end it. I had to end it, David…for us. I-I thought, a part of me believed Trina left because of it. Whether or not that was the truth, I was _afraid_, I didn't want to lose _another_ daughter because of him."

"So it was still going on." He gently pounded the bed with his fist, grunting as he leaned back against his pillow. "We'll talk more about this later, but first, I want to be with my daughters." Holly slowly nodded her head as the three girls surrounded their father. Tori was sobbing quietly, evidently shocked by the news that her mom was, or had been, having an affair. He lifted his hands, grabbing Tori's and Trina's in each, then he gazed into Vicky's eyes. "Vicky, whether or not you were born of an affair, I always counted you as mine…I love you as a father should love his children. I am sorry if I seemed negligent growing up, you know how it's like in Dimmsdale…"

"Y-Yeah…" Vicky chuckled and Trina slowly shook her head. Working the police force in Dimmsdale was hell, every day was a tragedy. Trina looked over to see Wanda and Cosmo hovering near the surgical tools, out of sight, both feeling incredibly guilty. "Every day some new destruction…you were always busy."

"I guess being constantly busy left me little time to spend with the four most important women in my life. You, Trina, Tori, and well, my wife of course." Holly's face brightened momentarily and Trina started to smile. She could see Vicky actually tearing up, and that was an amazing sight! "I know you made the option to stay in Dimmsdale, you were old enough to do that, I just…I wish you would have kept in contact with us."

"I couldn't stand the hypocrisy. I knew mom was just moving to LA because of Gary. I guess it's a good thing, Dad, Mom seems finished with him…" Holly nodded her head, wiping her tears away with a napkin. "I think my sisters coming to Dimmsdale softened me, I'm not happy about this." The girls laughed and David began to smile.

"Does that mean you will give us another chance? To start over?" Vicky raised an eyebrow and Trina carefully studied her sister. Her own heart was pounding as she thought about these second chances. If Vicky could do it, then so could she. "As a family…Now I'm not asking that you move down here if you don't want to, but-"

"I can do that." Trina gasped and Tori's lips grew into a widening smile. Holly jumped up and David grinned. "I mean, sure it'll take a while, but…" She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "I would be willing to give this family another shot, based off what you're saying…and I'm not just saying that…I'd have to find an apartment somewhere, but I can definitely try."

Tori squealed and threw her arms around Vicky's neck, startling the woman, "Oh my god yes! I can't believe it!" Vicky chuckled nervously and Trina wagged her eyebrows. She was ecstatic to hear Vicky might move down here, but it put a wrench in her own dilemmas. Where on earth would she stay? "That means we can all be together, right?" Tori shot Trina a pleading look, and Trina merely dipped her head.'

"I-I don't know, I'm still sketchy on the whole idea of moving back here. I mean-"

"Come on Trina, _please?_ My friends will leave you alone, I promise!"

"Well…" She rubbed her arm and closed her eyes, struggling to make her decision. She paused once her father spoke up again, perhaps he had a plan of action in mind?

"Trina, before you left, I was thinking of how you used to love looking through court cases and so on. I was arranging for you to meet with an old academy friend of mine so he could train you…"

"Sinjin told me."

"Yes. That offer still stands, and it's up to you to take it, but it's your future. I know we may have hurt you, but we never stopped paying attention to you. We've always loved you, and always _will_. Please, just give us that chance to be a full family. I know we're going to have to work on some things, but we can get through it…"

He had a point, as much as she didn't want to admit it. They were a family, they didn't need to be disconnected. She pressed her lips together and sighed, still unsure of how secure she felt. "I-I'll have to think about it, but…I know I would love to take that offer. You said he was a friend of yours at the academy?"

"Yes, D.B. Russell. We met at a police academy in Washington many years ago and have maintained communication. He's working as a CSI now in Vegas and I've told him how much you enjoy the field, so he spoke with his boss and they agreed to let you be an apprentice if you were interested. It doesn't mean you can go out on the field just yet, not until you're certified, but they can still teach you everything you need to know."

"It really sounds like a dream come true…I mean, it's amazing." Had she known her dad was planning something like this for _her_, she might never have left. Had she been reminded how important she was to Tori, perhaps she'd still be kicking up dirt in this town. The one good thing about her leaving, though, was reconnecting with Vicky. As much as Tori looked up to her, she always adored and admired her elder sister.

She definitely wanted to be a whole family again. "So what do you say, Trina? Will you come back home?" This was a much needed talk, and it broke her heart as much as it scared her to think that it was almost ended by a bullet. She clenched her eyes shut and slowly nodded her head, wiping away her tears.

"Y-Yeah, if Vicky is doing it then…then yeah, I'll come home."

* * *

Well?


	31. Everything She Could ever Want

The Runaway

Disclaimer: Don't own Victorious, or FOP

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 31 (Everything She Could Ever Want)

"Are you sure?" Trina listened as Timmy spoke, they were back in Dimmsdale and helping Vicky to pack. Vicky had made the decision to move to LA and give the family another shot. To that same regard, Trina was going to visit with the CSI crew in Nevada and make her final decision to let them teach her."It's a big step, and you're going to be away from your family again…"

"I won't be away from them, Timmy. I mean, I know I'll be in another state, but I'll see them plenty of times. As for leaving Dimmsdale…yes, I think it's best." She gazed out the window with a broken heart, fearing the unknown, but making that brave step that was needed. No longer did she want to be a runaway. "I fell for this town all over again, but it was like Wanda said, I fell in love with the _idea_ of this town."

"I know. The tragedies from the past though…" He bowed his head and closed his eyes. "I never thought about how my wishes affected people, and that includes Vicky." It was a surprise Vicky lasted as long as she did, too many times had she suffered the wrath of whatever wish came from Timmy and his fairy godparents. "We're going to miss you, Trina." He hugged her and she slowly hugged him back. "You stay strong though. Okay? Whatever you go through, whatever happens, keep your head up."

"I know, and I will." She was past the days of letting people affect her. Sure, it was going to take a long time before she could trust again, but time would heal all wounds. "It's amazing though, my dreams are coming true." He leaned back and chuckled as she gazed off dreamily into the sky. "Weird isn't it? It's like…I didn't even have to have fairies or wishmakers of any kind, yet…"

"I don't know Trina, it's like you were saying. Magic can't solve everything, but maybe you did have some magic somewhere." She raised an eyebrow as Timmy shrugged his shoulders and smiled. "The minute Sinjin came to town it seems like, everything was slowly fixing itself. Your relationship with your sister repaired itself, your younger sister and her friends came to make things right, you got to talk to your parents, Jade and Trixie patched things up…wishes were coming true left and right."

"Yeah, but you-"

"Had nothing to do with it." He pushed himself up from the couch and turned around, giving her a subtle smile as Cosmo and Wanda hovered around him. "I may have thought about asking them to turn things around for you, but I couldn't have done it. They wouldn't let me. It was nice seeing everything come true for you, though, and what happened there was _faith."_

"Faith?"

"Faith. Strength, courage, and maybe even a little love…you fixed things for yourself Trina." She started to smile, her heart skipped a beat as she looked to the doorway and listened to Vicky's radio in the other room. "You're right, just trying and having faith does the work…"

"You're really maturing, Timmy…I mean, not to say you weren't mature before, it's just…"

"I'm seeing things in a different perspective, that's all." He crossed his arms and exhaled slowly. "Now there's just one other thing. I know you and I were only due to matters of you wanting to latch onto something that made you happier, but it wasn't a real happiness, just…the idea of things…you have a real opportunity to be happy now, and if anything, I can see there's one guy that has been doing that for you."

"I don't know…" She started to blush as she thought of Sinjin, the way he was always there for her and always supportive of her. She looked to Timmy's smirk. Her breath caught itself in her throat and she slowly closed her eyes. "You think Sinjin has something to do with that, don't you…"

"Think? Trina he came all this way for you, he searched for you. When he got here, you were glowing. He convinced your sister and her friends to come up here. Maybe you don't want a relationship with anyone, but you know, if you ever decide to date again…maybe open yourself up to the possibility that Sinjin could be that guy for you?"

What was he saying? Sure she had feelings for Sinjin, very strong feelings no doubt, but could it really happen? If she took her dad's friend's offer, then how would she be able to be with him? "I'll be in Nevada, Timmy, and he'll be in California. There's nothing that can make that happen…"

"I don't know. It seems like, when it comes to the heart, there's always a way."

"Yeah…" She scoffed and closed her eyes, tucking her lip into a tiny smirk. "Since when did you become a romantic?"

"Oh I didn't, but I know a good thing when I see it…or at least, Wanda does. I may be naïve and know nothing about love, but what I do know, I can see. But that's beside the point, I think the lesson here is…just trust in yourself and have the confidence to lead yourself, and you can get everything you could ever want in life." She flicked her eyes to Wanda and held her smirk, she had a strong feeling Wanda taught him these things.

"So what else did Wanda teach you?" He laughed and Wanda shook her head. Timmy gazed into her eyes and started to smile.

"Trina, my only wish is that you can be happy, and I mean a real happiness. When I see how you are with Sinjin, you really are happy. Don't lose that." She opened her mouth, but swallowed her words, unable to form any good thoughts. A tear left her eyes as she reached over and hugged him once more.

"Thank you…" Her body trembled as he hugged her back with Cosmo and Wanda. She was truly going to miss them, though she knew they'd be in touch. For the first time, she felt like she would truly be okay.

In Sinjin's motel room, she sat on the edge of the bed with her head on his shoulder, and Ginger laying beside her. Her heart was pounding as nervousness and anxiety rushed through her. A couple hours had passed since she spoke with Timmy, and Vicky decided to go to the market for some more boxes, so she opted to see Sinjin now. "You've been so good to me, Sinjin. I mean...you never gave up on me or anything."

"I don't think I could bring myself to do that."

"You really do care…" He looked at her with a subtle smile and placed his hand over hers between their legs.

"Of course I do. I wouldn't have spent all that time trying to find you if I didn't." She chuckled softly and closed her eyes. Things were really shaping up, she could feel it. She nudged her head closer to his neck and shut her eyes, sighing softly as he reached over and swept her hair from her face. She was frightened over whether or not he actually felt anything for her, if there was any guy in this world that could have genuine feelings for her whatsoever. "You all right, Trina? You seem like you have something on your mind."

"I guess." She felt Ginger move her head onto her leg and slowly opened her eyes, smiling at the dog. "Ginger's a sweetie."

"Yes she is, the best dog you'll find around."

"I know." She moved her free hand over and ran it through Ginger's silky fur. Her hand paused on the dog's neck, Trina's gaze turned to Sinjin and her heart leapt to her throat. "Sinjin, I…I was wondering…" The tides really _did_ turn when he came, and mostly for the better. Next to Timmy, there had never been a man who cared about her so much. "Do you…do you have-think there could be something between us?" He raised an eyebrow and looked to her eyes, smiling briefly. Her cheeks reddened as her hand squeezed around his. "What I mean is, could you foresee any kind of relationship with me? Or would I be dreaming if I…I don't know. I'm scared, I guess."

The next thing she knew, she was leaning towards him. His finger tucked beneath her chin and her lips met his. Her eyelids slid down and her heart skipped a beat as a spark shot down from her lips. She heard Ginger whine curiously and moved her arms around Sinjin, pulling back momentarily to look into his strong gaze.

"I care more for you than I could care for anyone else, and I think if we take it slowly, then a relationship is very possible…"

"B-but I'm going to Nevada." She'd made her decision in the hour after talking to Timmy, still she wanted to meet the CSI people though. "I don't know what I'm going to do once I'm there, but…"

"Well, I _have_ been looking for a place to actually settle down and stop traveling everywhere. I'm sure Ginger would love a home, so I can always rent."

"You mean you would actually move to Vegas? To be with me?"

"I think you know just how far I'd go to make you happy. If being there would make you happy, then by all means, I'll be there." She wanted to jump up and dance for what he was saying, but she had to keep in calm control. That being said, she moved her arms around his neck and moved to kiss him once more. Did she love him? There was no denying that something was definitely present. A spark, chemistry, and perhaps yes, even love. Whatever the case, she wanted to be a part of this man's life, and her a part of his.

When they returned to LA a few days later, she was not leaving Sinjin's side. Of course, seeing her father on his feet again at the airport made her squeal in delight and rush forward, hugging him tight. He let out a grunt and Holly placed a hand to Trina's shoulder, smiling calmly, "Trina dear he's still a bit weak. Be careful."

"Aw I'll be fine," David grinned, "I'm happy to see my daughter any day." Trina pulled back and locked her gaze with his, she was extremely happy to be back in his life. She would never run away again, she was certain of it. "So Trina, have you made a decision on what you want to do?"

"I'm a little concerned about Tori."

"Oh I'll be fine," Tori replied from nearby. She was about three feet away with Andre, her expression was light and joyful, and her hand was grasping firmly with Andre's. Trina's eyebrows rose and Vicky eyed the couple. Tori walked over and put her hand to Trina's upper arm, gazing cheerfully into her eyes. "Vicky's here starting anew, Mom and Dad are fixing their relationship, and you're getting to achieve the dream you always wanted. What could be better? I'll be okay, knowing that you're okay. Knowing that we'll still see each other…I don't have to be afraid, Trina."

Also nearby were Tori's friends, they were all murmuring their agreements. Everyone was happy for her, finally achieving the goals she wanted out of life. "Did you hear!" Beck chimed, "They caught that man. Gary. They caught him. You won't believe who helped catch him." With that, she felt David's hand on her back and let him guide her as he motioned his hand towards a small food stand.

"Trina, there's someone I'd like you to meet." Her heart began to race once more as she turned her gaze to the hot dog stand. Standing there was a tall man with white hair and thick glasses, he was biting into a hotdog with ketchup and relish. Beside him was a woman with long wavy golden hair and a pleasant smile. The man and woman looked over, then the man wiped his mouth with a napkin. "This is D.B Russell and his partner, CSI Finlay." Her jaw nearly fell to the floor and her body froze, all the wind was sucked out of her. "They caught Gary roaming the hospital the other day and helped subdue him for the police here."

"Oh my god, it's them? I mean _they're_ the-" It was near impossible getting her words out, so instead, she shook their hands when offered.

"So you're David's lovely daughter," Russell responded. He had a warm and comforting smile, one that lulled her into an extremely secure state of mind. "I've heard a lot about you, and of course, David told you about the apprenticeship offer?"

"Y-Yeah, you're allowed?"

"Well I had to convince Ecklie, but some of what David said about you reminded a member of my team of herself…and she's Ecklie's daughter, therefore, she convinced him." This was almost too good to be true. Granted she expected it and wanted it, but she was still in the dream state, believing it to not be real.

"I'm not dreaming?"

"You don't appear to be."

"Okay, good." She looked around and hummed, "None of the others are here?"

"Well Greg Sanders and Nick Stokes wanted to come, but they're wrapped up in an investigation right now. The rest of the team had to stay behind for various reasons. That's all right though, you'll be meeting them whenever you go to Vegas, assuming you want to take the offer."

"I do! I-I really do, I mean, this is the best thing…" Trina stepped back beside her father and took his hand. She met his sideways gaze and smiled at him before giving him a quick peck on the cheek. "I love you, Daddy." It just fell from her lips, but how could she help it? This was the best thing anyone could have ever done for her, a sign of how much he cared for her. Taking a deep breath and recovering from the initial shock, she looked back to the two detectives and closed her eyes. "Is it possible to start in the fall, or summer?"

"Yeah that can be worked out," Finlay replied. Russell nodded his head. Trina gave her father's hand a light squeeze, then looked back to her other relatives.

"Good." She saw Holly and Tori smiling brightly while Vicky gave her a knowing smirk. Sinjin looked at her with a genuine look of compassion while all of Tori's friends appeared to be proud of her. For once, she felt _accepted_. She could live her life again, she could be happy and still, she could have everything she ever wanted. "I'd really like to spend some time with my family, I've been away for far too long. I'm not running away ever again, I've learned my lesson…"

* * *

So that's it, she's back for good. The final chapter is a bit of an epilogue, and I'm going to go ahead and post it now along with this here.


	32. Finally Happy

The Runaway

Disclaimer: Don't own Victorious, or FOP

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 32 (Finally Happy)

Things were looking up and Trina was at her happiest in life. It was Thanksgiving of 2013 and the entire family had come to Vegas. She and Sinjin had been roommates for months, though with separate beds for the most part, and Ginger was still a wild and loving puppy. She'd become good friends with all of Tori's friends, though she still didn't talk much with them.

Jade and Beck were leading a happy life apparently with their baby, and of course, Trixie had moved to LA to be with them. Timmy was still going strong and was starting to do well in his classes. The last Trina heard, Wanda and Cosmo were still floating about. Of course, Wanda still paid her regular visits, which she was always happy to see the bubbly fairy.

Tori graduated her final year with good standing and decided to wait a year before going to college. She wanted to go to a college of performing arts and would be given a scholarship. She claimed to still be uncertain over whether or not she actually wanted to sing.

Everyone was seated around the table, Sinjin made the turkey while Trina had prepared everything else. The family told her they had some important news and they were going to share it with her at the dinner. "Could you pass the sweet potatoes?" Tori asked. Trina gladly handed her the bowl of sweet potatoes and Vicky shot them a sour look.

"I can't stand sweet potatoes. I don't know why, never liked them." It was a common joke this Thanksgiving, as Trina and Tori both loved sweet potatoes. The sisters were almost completely similar in their tastes and dislikes, but this was one of those rarities where they differed

"They're like candy almost!" Trina said while putting her hand to her chest and letting out a mock gasp. Vicky shuddered and shook her head. At the table, seated clockwise from the head where Trina was, was Sinjin. Next to him, Holly, then Vicky, David, and finally, Tori. Ginger was under the table, begging for scraps that she was not going to get. "Well, sweet potatoes or not, at least have the cranberry sauce."

"That I will do, I can't go without it!" The others laughed as Vicky piled some slices of cranberry sauce onto her plate. Things were good between Vicky and Holly now, Trina was immensely proud of the two for patching what was broken. _However_, the relationship between Holly and David was just about over. Thirty years of lies were too much and he had filed for a divorce, but she still wanted to try and be close to family. "So Trina, how's the apprenticeship going? Anything new?"

She grinned for a second before cutting into her turkey, "They might let me do some field work in a few months!" She began around July, and the team was thinking of letting her experience brief field work for the first time in March or April. They would have to get clearance first, but it was looking good. She loved the job so far. It was hard to get past seeing dead bodies, but she was getting used to it. Not in a bad way, but in a way where she could at least tolerate it. "I could be a full fledged CSI in no time!"

"We're proud of you," Holly replied.

"Thanks, Mom. You know, Sinjin's always supportive." She looked to him and nudged him playfully in the ribs. He laughed once and gave her a pleasant smile. "I swear to god I never thought he could be so supportive of me…"

"Well why wouldn't I be supportive of the girl I love?" Her heart skipped a beat as it so often did, she simply couldn't foresee herself without him. "And as you all know, I've decided to put my brand of coffee on the market. Sellers are eating it up." The family congratulated him and David lifted his glass in a toast to everyone's good fortune. When he lowered his glass, he cleared his throat and grabbed everyone's attention.

"That being said, Trina, we wanted to personally come by and visit you because we have some important news." She was eager to hear and had been wracking her mind in attempt to figure out what could be going on. Though, there were no scenarios that she could think up. "We're moving." She gasped and leaned forward, dropping her jaw.

"Y-You're moving? Dad, where? What about your job?" He smirked at her and moved his glass to his lips. Tori and Vicky weren't saying anything, a sign they knew what was going on. Would Vicky be moving as well? "What about Tori's friends?"

"They'll be okay," Tori replied, "I already talked to them about it. We said our goodbyes already." _Already?_ That was to imply that they were already in the process of moving. If so, then this was their big surprise? Before she could ask, her father continued on with his story.

"Trina, I'm retiring. Or well, early retirement due to that bullet, but either way it's a grace." She furrowed her brow and watched as her father leaned back in his chair. "Trina, we lost you for ten whole months. Not a day went by that we didn't think about you, worry about you, fear for where you were…we love you, always have and always will. While we're extremely happy that you're finally _happy_, we decided that seeing you once or twice a month just isn't enough."

"Isn't enough?" True, she was tired of only getting to see them so little, but the apprenticeship gave her a busy life. She took a bite of her turkey and chewed it slowly. After swallowing the bite, she grabbed her water and sipped on it to help the bite go down. She was keeping calm and cool under pressure, and that was the important thing. "Yeah, I still miss you all. I feel homesick sometimes."

"Sometimes?" Sinjin joked, nudging her with his elbow, "You're always telling me every day how much you want to see them."

"Well that's because I _do."_ Her relatives all grinned at her as she looked them each in the eyes. Because of her time away from them, that separation gave _her_ a bit of the separation anxiety issue. Though not as bad as how Tori had it, still it was enough. "So…where are you guys moving?"

"Here!" Holly cheered. "Well your dad is, I'm looking for a small apartment myself. Still want to be with my girls, you know." She gasped delightedly and Sinjin flashed a welcome smile. She was speechless with excitement. _When_ were they moving here? "We decided to be closer to you, so we started looking around for an apartment. Vicky actually moved here already, but we told her to keep it on the down low so we could surprise you."

She raised an eyebrow and looked to her older sister. "Really? Vicky?" Vicky nodded and moved a spoonful of sweet potatoes onto her plate. "Thought you didn't like those?" Vicky shrugged her shoulders.

"I figure you made them, so I may as well try them." After the woman took a bite, she set down her fork and exhaled. "They are amazing, Trina!"

"Well I'm glad you like them. Now tell me more about this move of yours."

"I moved here a couple months ago to help scout out some homes for Mom and Dad. Tori obviously wants to keep living with them." She didn't care how it was set up, all she cared about was that her family was going to be close again! "Oh, and uh, there's some other stuff too…"

"What else?"

"Well you remember back in April when we decided to visit here for the hell of it and met the realtor who eventually got this place for you and Sinjin?"

"Yeah?" The realtor had been young, just a couple years older than Vicky. He had shaggy brown hair and a fuzzy brown goatee, his eyes were a deep blue and he looked deathly attractive in a business suit. "What about him?"

"Well we started dating, he found me the place that I'm renting." She put her hand over her mouth, resisting the urge to squeal for joy over the fact that her older sister had a boyfriend. Before she could cheer Vicky on, she had more news. "We're engaged."

"Already?"

"Well here's the thing, we fell in love yes, but uh…" Vicky started to blush as she poked her turkey with the fork. Trina leaned inwards, filling with anticipation. "There's no easy way to say this." Easy? When was anything in this world easy? She had to learn that the hard way.

"Just come out with it, Vicky. What's going on?" Tori started to squeal, clearly already having heard this news. Vicky took a deep breath and closed her eyes, smiling at her.

"Trina, you're going to be an aunt." She dropped her silverware and gaped at her sister, nothing could prepare her for this! It was shocking yes, but amazing news at the same time. She always wanted to be an aunt!

"Oh my god! Vicky that's-that's great!"

"I'm kind of anxious, but I think I'll be all right."

"You're going to be a great mom, Vicky. You've got our mom to help you, and apparently you're getting married, so…I think you'll be great." She smiled at her and reached over, giving her a gentle squeeze of the hand. Tori gushed over the news.

Trina wiped a tear from her eyes and put her head to Sinjin's shoulder, watching as her family members grabbed for more food. She could honestly say she was happy to be here, happy to actually _be_ happy. Where would she be if she never went back home? Still in Dimmsdale. _"There's a lot to be thankful for this year…there really is…"_

The valuable lessons were learned, she still had a ways to go, but now she had the faith and confidence that once she'd lacked. She still wished she never met Seth, but more than that, she wished she never ran off like a coward.

Yet, not all was as it seemed. Had she not gone back to Dimmsdale, she wouldn't have met Trixie again, or Timmy, or Cosmo and Wanda. Sure, she threw herself into danger a few times, but everything there helped her to learn and to grow. It was always a step at a time, and she was glad to be alive.

She turned her gaze to see Tori slipping a tiny piece of turkey to Ginger and sighed at her sister, "Don't feed the dog table scraps, Tori." Tori quickly withdrew her hand, chuckling nervously and blushing. "We're trying to sway her _out_ of begging."

"Sorry sis!" Tori laughed and soon joined the chattering of the family. As everyone talked amongst themselves, all Trina could do was sit and reflect over how lucky she was to have them.

Truly, if she had stayed away from them and kept running, she would never actually be happy. At least, not like this. Never again would she run from her problems. No, she knew now how to face them head on, and to freely move along with her life. She didn't have to run to be free.

_No._

She _was_ free.

* * *

Well. That's it folks, the end of The Runaway. It's been a great run (no pun intended), and I appreciate all who kept along with this! Thank you so much for your devotion and your comments. Stick around for other stories. Let me know what you thought of the last chapters here. Well...I'm off to other works as well.


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